LGBT Twilight
by Moon In the Daytime
Summary: This is my version of vampire romance with two boys as the main protagonists. Slightly darker than Twilight. Let me know what you think. I'll release new chapters if there's interest. 6/6/18 note: major changes to the chapters. Hope this clears up some confusion.
1. Chapter 1

LUX

The Stranger was hiding behind a book, peeking over the cover, staring at me with his green-gold eyes. I sat behind the checkout counter and tried to stop shaking, but he was gorgeous, and the way he looked at me was so intense that I could barely take it.

'Dangerous' was the word that ran through my mind. The Stranger had been coming to the bookstore for weeks now, and every time, it got harder and harder not to wish he'd finally say 'hi'.

But I had to force myself to keep a safe distance from him. I still looked seventeen, I still _was_ seventeen in my head, but I'd belonged to a vampire for almost twice that. 'Damaged', 'Addicted', 'owned', 'used', were the only words I had to describe myself. I was way too broken to ever date another human again.

I hid behind the ancient computer monitor and clicked around on some stuff that didn't matter just to keep myself from thinking about him. But so many questions were going through my mind. Why was a high school kid hanging around an all-night bookstore at four a.m.? Who was he? Was he really staring at me for the same reason I was staring at him?

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the front door slam open.

I looked up and felt my heartbeat groaning in my ears.

A man in a well-fitted suit was standing just inside the bookstore. His voice was calm, but his lips twitched, just barely hiding his fangs.

He held a hand out in my direction, "Would you like to come with me?"

The Stranger put his book down on his lap as he tried to figure out what was going on. There was no way he could've known that he was facing a vampire, but the man in the suit's behavior was too odd for anyone to ignore.

I blushed, managing to feel as embarrassed as I was scared. To vampires, the scent of a human who's Addicted is like the scent of a dog who's in heat. He wanted to know if I was desperate enough to leave with him, no questions asked.

"No, thank you," I said.

I hadn't had been with a vampire in two years and the withdrawal hurt, but the thought of letting anyone use me for pleasure and blood made me feel sick inside.

The worst part in that moment was that I still had to be polite to him. Pissing him off was something that I did not want to do. He was the first vampire that had ever approached me when I wasn't alone. For him to take that kind of risk was proof that he was starving. If he lost it, he would kill me, and the Stranger too.

He breathed in deeply, then exhaled slowly, "I said come."

"-He said 'no'." Slowly, the Stranger stood up from his chair. His chest and shoulders tensed. His fists clenched at his sides.

Before I had time to respond, the vampire did.

"You should stay quiet."

" _He said 'no'_ , and I said 'leave'." Stranger took a step forward and it was clearly a threat.

"Wait!" I scrambled from behind the counter and stood between them. "Everything's fine. Nobody has to fight."

 _"_ _If I have to go with you, I will,"_ I mouthed the words at the immortal. The Stranger couldn't see. He was standing just behind me, concentrating on the situation at hand, _"But please, don't hurt him."_

The vampire's face changed as he read my lips. The determination in his eyes faded to irritation. He huffed my scent out of his nose, then spit on the ground and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. He shot the Stranger an angry glance before charging out the door.

It banged on its hinges and slammed back shut. The Beautiful Stranger was right behind him, rushing to turn the lock. The second it clicked into place he wheeled around, moving towards me, "Are you okay? God, that guy looked like he wanted to… " he shook his head like he was stopping himself from saying the words 'eat you'.

I answered by stumbling back and knocking into the chair. I hadn't breathed for so long that I'd started seeing stars. I wobbled and fell into the seat.

"Whoa," gently, he reached out to steady me.

"Sorry. I'm okay. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? He crouched down in front of me, the concern in his eyes lighting the shades of green and gold. "That guy was insane. Maybe I should call the cops?"

It took me a minute to speak. He was so close. Just the smell of him was making me dizzy all over again. "No. It's fine. It's the night shift. Crazy weird stuff like that happens all the time. And if I call the cops my boss would just panic and I… I really need this job."

"Okay," he nodded like he understood, "Then no cops." He glanced towards the door. "But, can I hang out for a while, then? Just to make sure he doesn't come back?"

I short-circuited. I wasn't supposed to let him to stay. I needed to tell him to get away from me and my messed up life as fast as he could.

"Just for a while?" He asked again.

"Um… Yeah." I said, as I realized it was literally impossible for me to tell him 'no'. "That would be okay."

"Alright. Good." He stared up at me, looking relieved, "…I'm Lux, by the way."

"I'm Gabriel. Gabe. Or anything. I mean, either one," I rambled like I didn't even know my own name.

He smiled softly as he put his hand out to shake mine, "Hi, Gabe. Nice to meet you."

KISSING IN THE DARK

"-You dig a moat and fill it with oil!" Lux's brow furrowed as he argued, "When the zombies get in, you set it on fire and you're good!"

"Zombies don't care if they're on fire! Now they're hungry for you, engulfed in flames, and they're gonna eat your brains while they burn down your house!"

He burst out laughing. "Okay, good point. You're the first person I'm calling when the zombie apocalypse hits."

"I don't know anymore, Lux. You might just slow me down."

He laughed, "Really?!"

"Only a handful of us are gonna make it. I can't save everyone!"

He shook his head as he laughed harder.

I couldn't believe how easy he was to talk to. We'd been talking about zombies for hours.

He smiled at me, his head tipped to the side. His gaze started to do that heart-stopping thing again. I hurried up and found something to say before I forgot my name for the second time.

"So… I kinda noticed you come in a few times. Do you live around here?"

"Actually, my dad owns the place down the street, Marsettes," he said, "So I'm working for him this summer. He wants me to help him run it after I graduate."

"Do you like it there?"

He raised an eyebrow, "All I do is count produce at five a.m., so it's not exactly riveting. But my dad made me a deal that if I started working now I could still play football when school starts back, so it's worth it.

Quitting senior year would've been way too hard. Varsity's been together since we were kids. Missing our last chance to all play together would've been insane, you know? Especially since Whitmer's actually got a chance to take the championships this time.

What about you? Where do you go to school?"

"I um…" I felt sick to my stomach. I hated talking about myself, especially since I could never tell anyone the whole truth. "I used to go to Saint John's, but I had to quit a couple years back. I got my GED though." I winced. "It wasn't because I was doing bad in school or anything. Some family stuff came up, and… I just to deal with that first."

"-No. I get it. Really. That's pretty much how I ended up at Marsette's; family stuff. My brother, Mark, was supposed to take over but when he couldn't I had to step up. I was hoping it wouldn't be until after college. OSU was saying I had a good chance to come down on scholarship, and I wanted that pretty bad… but I had to give it up.

When it comes to family, sometimes you just gotta do what's best for everybody else. You just gotta deal."

He was trying to keep his voice steady, to keep the regret from showing on his face. I wished I could tell him how much I understood.

"True," I said, "But honestly, sometimes I get sick of 'just dealing'."

He nodded, "Me too. Everything I've given up to make my dad O.K., it's kinda been the things I wanted the most."

"-The things that would actually make you happy-"

"-the thing I can't stop thinking about." As he stared at me the look in his eyes turned from want to need.

It was so intense that it made me feel something I'd never felt for a human before: thirst. Without thinking, I licked my lips and that's all it took. The next second, he was pressed against me.

He started gently, then let himself go. His teeth bit softly against my bottom lip while his fingers pushed their way up the back of my shirt.

My chair scraped across the floor as he pulled me closer. His hands slid higher as he kissed his way down to my neck.

I forgot every single reason that I should've stayed away from him.

He jolted away from me and I gasped. The headlights passing over us through the front window had him looking like he'd be caught committing a crime.

When he realized it was just a car passing by, shame clouded the spark in his eyes. I pulled my shirt back down, feeling embarrassed and exposed.

"I'm sorry," he said, "That was stupid. It was a reflex, and it was wrong. I just… haven't told anybody yet, that I'm…"

"-It's okay," I said, and I meant it. After all, he was a normal kid whose biggest secret was that he was gay. I was a blood-addict who attracted vampires that could kill us any second. I'd be just as wrong for judging him as I'd been for letting him kiss me in the first place.

"No, that was a jerk move. I'd completely understand if you think I'm a disaster, but… I promised myself that if I ever got up the nerve to talk to you, I wouldn't leave here without asking you out. If you give me another chance to be someone you'd say 'yes' to…"

I shook my head as I fought against how much I wanted him, "No, you should go." I stood up from my chair.

"Gabriel," he winced against the rejection, "I'm sorry, and I really want to stay. Please?"

"-Lux, trust me, you're not the disaster. I am.

You're still trying to figure out how to be yourself, that's all. But I know who I am, and it's not that great-"

"-Yes it is." He said calmly, and it shook me for a moment. He sounded so sure.

I tried to regain my composure, "You can't say that. You don't know me. I'm just not good at keeping people close. I try so hard but it always breaks and maybe it's because _I'm_ broken. So if your first instinct is to pull away from me, you're probably right. Maybe you should _run_."

He frowned and he looked so hurt, "Why? Tell me what happened."

"I just did-"

"No. I mean tell me everything." He pulled his chair closer.

"It doesn't matter."

He didn't move. "Yes it does."

He was so concerned that I didn't know what to say, except for some part of the truth. My heart beat faster as I thought about the worst part of my life, "-I wanted my mom to come with me when I moved out, but she wouldn't. She swore my dad would stop hitting her once I was gone. So I left, and I loved her so much for all the times she'd stopped him from destroying me, and hated her for loving him enough to stay behind.

But after being on my own for a few months, I met Aryl. He was so angry that my parents would choose to let me go before they'd learn to accept a son who wasn't straight. He told me he loved me and it felt like he was saving me from drowning.

A couple years later he disappeared. He left without saying anything. I was back underwater all over again.

I called home, for the first time since I'd been gone. I knew I couldn't go back there, but I needed to hear my mom's voice so bad. But when she picked up she sounded scared. She said she loved me, but I should never call. My dad hadn't ever stopped hurting her, and after all that time, she still thought I was the reason why.

We were both so alone, and we needed each other so bad. But she couldn't save me, and I couldn't save her. No matter how much she loved me; she'd never believe my dad was the broken one: I was.

And after that, I didn't call. Because deep down inside I knew… maybe she's right."

I'd said the whole story without a single pause. I'd just wanted to get it over with.

Lux flinched at the ending, "Gabe, I'm so sorry," he looked shocked. "But you have to know that wasn't _your_ fault."

"You don't get it-"

"No, I can't sit here and say I know exactly how you feel. But I do know what it's like to feel broken. I felt broken too when Mark died, and my mom left, and my dad fell apart. He's still falling apart.

I wanted to be strong enough to put him back together, but my dad knows I'm different and he blames that every day for why I'll never be as good as Mark. The way he sees it, I'll never be what he wanted Mark to be. I'll never be the son he wanted to have.

So I know what it's like when you're trying so hard to save everyone, and I know what it's like to think you can't because all they see you as is broken."

He put his hand on the counter next to mine, reaching out for me, but too afraid to touch. "But being gay doesn't make us broken. And we can't keep living like everything shattered because of us.

 _It wasn't us._ " He slid his hand towards mine until our fingers interlocked, "Whether we go on a date or not, maybe I could be the one to prove it to you, and you could be the one to prove it me. Maybe we could prove it to each other."

His words pulled their way through my heart like a needle on a string: I needed to believe them so badly that it hurt. I shook my head up and down.

"Is that a 'yes'?" He asked softly.

" _Yes."_

And that was it. That was the moment that Lux's fate became entwined with mine. My past was already rushing to change his future, and he'd barely even learned my name.


	2. Chapter 2

LIES

 _"_ _When you bite me… I'll die?"_

 _Aryl shook his head, "You'll live. But you have to have my blood first, just a little so that you can survive it."_

 _"_ _Then I'll be like you?"_

 _"_ _No, you'll be different. You'll live forever, you'll crave the blood of My Kind. You'll belong to me. But you'll still be human. To make you one of us I'd have to do… other things."_

 _I sat on the bed, shivering. I'd barely known Aryl before I'd agreed to let him have all of me. But being with him was the first time I'd ever felt loved. I didn't know why he wanted me, but anything he had to offer was better than what I'd left behind._

 _"_ _Are you afraid of me?" he asked._

 _I told him that I wasn't. I reached out to touch his fangs._

 _Desire and hunger took over his gaze and froze me mid-reach. I was staring into the eyes of something more animal than human. While the hair rose on my neck, I realized that even though he wasn't moving, it felt like he was hunting me, and I wanted to be caught._

 _"_ _Stay still," he said quietly, "I don't want to hurt you. Stay still so I can keep control."_

 _In that moment, I wasn't afraid of dying. I was only scared of him killing me before I had the chance to feel his touch. I did what he'd ordered and fought down the urge to throw myself into his arms._

 _Finally he reached out and raised my chin, so that my neck was exposed. I could feel his warm, smooth fingertips against my veins._

 _"_ _Perfect," was the last thing I heard before his lips found mine, and my heart found what it'd searched for my whole entire life._

 _Blood. Taste. Beg. More._ Parts of my dream shocked their way through my brain and I startled awake.

"It's okay," Lux kissed my forehead and held me tighter. "You're awake. You're safe. It's okay. You're awake. I'm here."

I blushed, and said the same thing I said every evening, "Sorry. I'm sorry, Lux."

"Hey, we talked about this, remember?" He wrapped his legs around me, "If we can't stop the scary dreams, I'm just gonna have to keep kissing 'em away, that's all." He kissed me slowly and smiled, "See? Best job in the world."

He was so sweet, but I wondered if he'd take it all back if he knew what the dreams were about. Now that Aryl was gone, I dreamt of him every night. It was like my body wouldn't let my brain forget how much I'd always need blood, not even in my sleep. I always woke up like I was waking up from a fever.

"What else can I do to make it better? You want more hugs or hot coffee?"

"Hot chocolate?"

"I got you." He kissed me again before he got out of bed. "Hot chocolate and breakfast. It's kind of weird eating breakfast at night but I guess that's what working weird hours does.

Besides, I'm pretty sure I should feed you before I drag you out to the middle of nowhere."

I frowned, "I know I promised, but I think I should get to take it back. I don't want to go to 'nowhere'." I pulled the covers over my head. "You cheated."

"Cheated? What do you mean?" he laughed as he headed out of my bedroom and towards the tiny kitchen.

"Every time you asked me if I wanted to go, it was right after we'd… " I thought of all the ways he'd convinced me to go with him to 'nowhere' and blushed. "You didn't have clothes on and I couldn't think straight."

"I haven't been able to think straight since I met you, so we're even, babe."

"Stop being perfect or I'm breaking up with you."

He laughed again, "You first."

"-But we're gonna take it slow, right? I mean, I'll go to the cookout, and if they like me, then we'll tell them we're dating… in couple of weeks… or months… or years..."

He made me wait for a response until he came back from the kitchen. He handed me a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and got back into bed with our plate.

There were six eggs for him, a pile of bacon, and four pieces of toast with butter. I had one egg, and one toast. I knew from the difference in portions that he'd finally started noticing my eating habits, or lack thereof.

" _I_ like you. That's all that matters."

His confidence in me turned my stomach upside down. Five months ago, I'd never have thought that Lux would want something real with me. Now he wanted to 'come out' to his friends for me and it was making me feel like crap. All the ways that Aryl had changed me made a future between us impossible. So how could I let Lux tell his friends the truth about us? I couldn't even tell him the truth about myself.

I pushed my breakfast around the plate, cut it into bits, lifted the fork to my mouth, and put it back down. Between the anxiety and the blood-withdrawal, I couldn't handle the thought of eating anything.

Lux reached over, slid his hands under my legs and pulled me closer to him. He carefully put the fork back in my hand, "How 'bout half?" he kissed my shoulder, "Please?"

"Sure. Okay." I said, trying to pretend it was no big deal.

I forced down a couple of bites to stop him from worrying, and immediately felt like I was going to throw up.

My phone rang and I jumped out from under the covers, "I have a phone call!" I said, grateful for an excuse to escape. "It's probably important." I grabbed my phone and ran to the bathroom; the only private place in my little apartment.

"Hey, Mr. Bannock," I leaned against the bathroom door. I'd never been so happy to have him on the phone.

"Hey, employee Numero Uno!" Mr. Bannock said, "How's it goin'?"

"-Hi, Gabriel!" Mrs. Bannock hollered in the background, "I haven't seen you all week! Come visit. We're right upstairs!" (They lived above the bookstore.) "We have lemonade and sandwiches. Hank, tell him about the sandwiches."

"They'll _change your life_. Pastrami and cream cheese, son. The Mrs. says I shouldn't have 'em because of my cholesterol-"

"I'm trying to keep you alive, Hank!" Mrs. Bannock hollered again.

"I'm seventy-five! How much longer do I hafta hold on, woman?!"

Mrs. Bannock giggled, "You are pretty old," she said. "Old fart. Now stop stalling and tell him the thing- the thing we talked about!"

Mr. Bannock sighed, "Well we know we're just your bosses, but you feel like family to us. So be careful with Lux, and listen to those commercials. 'No' means 'no', and whatnot. Hear?"

"Please, no!" I worked on dying as I realized I was getting a 'sex talk'.

"It's none of our business, we know. But your generation's kinda… "

"-Ratchet," Mrs. Bannock shouted. "I know what ratchet means!"

"Right! So be careful, okay?"

"Mr. B., you don't have to-"

"-I know, I know. I'm 'up in yo' bidness'. But we love you. You've always kept to yourself and we're glad you made a new friend. So whatever you choose to do, just be safe with your heart, okay? That's the part that matters most."

"-He's cute though, so don't be too safe!" Mrs. Bannock grabbed the phone, "That's how I got Mr. Bannock!"

"Okay, I didn't need to know that," I put my head in my hands while Mrs. Bannock giggled.

"And if he can make a good sandwich then hold onto 'im!" she said, "Two things make a marriage rock solid; trust, and a hearty sandwich. Remember that."

"What about my good looks?" It was Mr. Bannock's turn to shout.

"I'm about to show you how good you look! Don't play with me, boy!"

Mr. Bannock grabbed the phone back, "Gotta go, son! Call us! Love ya!"

I ended the call and shook my head. The Bannocks were so crazy, but I definitely loved them too.

Before I worked at Gently Read, I would wander around the bookstore every night until it closed. It was after Aryl disappeared, and I hated thinking about going home to my new, empty apartment, alone.

The Bannocks didn't even know me, but I guess they could see how lonely I was. They never asked too many questions, or tried to dig too deep. Instead they made up the nightshift so I could hang out until the sun came up. I barely even sold any books, because barely anyone ever came in. The night shift was charity, and I knew it. And I was grateful for it. I was so glad I had them in my life: awkward sex talks and all.

"Everything okay?" Lux asked as I opened the door.

"Yeah. That was the Bannocks. They were just checking on me."

He nodded slowly and glanced over my ribs and waist, the places that showed I was way too thin. The phone call hadn't distracted him from being concerned. He reached for me as I climbed back into bed, curling himself around me.

"You know you can tell me anything right?" He ran his fingertips over my hip bones, "No matter what? Even about the dreams."

"I know," I leaned up to kiss him and it hurt that I was keeping secrets, "but I'm fine. Everything's fine. I promise."

He kissed me back and I felt his fingertips slide down the notches in my spine. I could feel how badly he wanted the truth, but I also knew he wouldn't push too hard.

Every time he pushed for answers, I couldn't help but shut down. So he'd bite his tongue and let me keep what I was hiding to myself.

Little did I know, all of that was about to change. By the time our trip was over, he wouldn't accept any more of my lies.

FADE

"Don't worry," Lux said as he put the car in 'park', "I'm not gonna leave you by yourself. And besides, they'll think you're awesome. I promise."

We'd finally arrived at the campground: a dark wilderness that wasn't visible through the thick forest we'd navigated.

Lux kissed me in the last seconds of privacy we had behind the dark-tinted windows. The moment he pulled away, I was hurting for him already, and dreading the fact that I wouldn't be able to touch him for the whole time we were there.

The pain in my sigh was enough for him to know exactly what I was thinking.

"I hate it too. But it's gonna be worth it." He kissed me slowly as he ran his fingers through my hair, "After this, I get to let everybody know I'm yours."


	3. Chapter 3

CAMPING

Valerie rolled her eyes as she spoke to me, "Sorry about Shannon. When it comes to Lux, she drools a lot."

"Oh my god, cram it!" Shannon laughed as she took a step back from Lux. Her face was bright red.

"What? You're literally drooling!" Valerie stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth, "Just get married already! This is never gonna end until you two stop pretending you're 'BFFs' and start making some babies."

"Whoooaaa!" The guys laughed, except for Lux. He was busy turning white as a ghost.

"Val!" Shannon looked like she was about to panic.

"All you've been doing for the past couple months is whining that you've barely seen Lux. You miss him so much 'cause he's your future baby daddy!"

"First of all, you're a rat!" Shannon laughed, "Second, he _is_ my best friend. I'm allowed to miss my best friend!"

"Wait." A guy named Roter interrupted, "Lux, you're like my brother. So if you had a baby that would make me like an uncle! That'd be sweet, man! Uncle me up, bro!"

"-Uncle Lavelle!" another guy freaked out at the idea, " _I'd be uncle Lavelle!_ "

Lux made a face at Shannon, "Why are we friends with these people?"

She laughed, "I have no idea."

"Do it!" Greg shouted. He was Lux's loudest friend. He had red hair and freckles, along with a flask on a fast track to empty and an obvious crush on Valerie. "Your baby would be almost as cute as me and Val's."

Val rolled her eyes, "Actually, two hot people make an ugly baby, so their baby would be hideous. That's just science. And _our_ baby would be invisible because _me_ letting _you_ would never freaking happen."

"Ouch!" Lavelle shook Greg by the shoulders. "Guess that's a 'no', dude."

"That's a hell no!" Roter laughed.

"Aw man! Come on, Val!" Greg sidled up to her, "You're a sexy cheerleader, I'm a sexy football dude. We're both smokin' hot gingers. It's meant to be!"

"I would rather sprout the mustache of a fully-grown man than to bear you a child, Greg."

"Damn!" Roter hollered as the other guys laughed.

Greg tried to laugh it off too, but it was easy to see he was embarrassed, "Okay. You're a classy lady. Perhaps a feat of strength is what you require before you bear my sons.

Men, I challenge you to the ancient sport of beer pong! One round, winner gets Val."

"Hey!" Val's mouth popped open.

"Okay. I'm in." Roter said.

"Me too." Lavelle nodded.

"You can't _win_ me." Val shouted.

"You sit this one out, Lux." Greg frowned, "You might beat me at pong and I need this."

Lux put his hands up as he smiled at how serious Greg looked, "No prob, buddy."

"And no offense, bro," Greg pointed at me, "but you're new here and it wouldn't be cool if you won Valerie when you just met her, so you should probably hang back too."

Valerie threw her hands up in the air as Shannon tried not to laugh herself to death.

Greg winked at her, "Alright, m'lady, when I return I will be a champion, and you will be my soon to be baby momma."

"Hell no!" Valerie grabbed Shannon's hand and pulled her towards the guys, "I'm playing too. None of you are gonna 'win' me! I'll win myself!"

She looked back at Lux, pointing at me as she dragged Shannon behind her, "This new guy better be normal. We've got enough weirdo friends already!"


	4. Chapter 4

PONG

 _Sorry my friends are kinda drunken disasters_ , Lux texted me as we sat side by side watching the last round of beer pong.

 _haha it's okay. At least they're nice_

 _You're the best,_ he wrote, _:) miss you_

He didn't have to explain how he could miss me when we were right next to each other. It was a chilly fall night and having to pretend that I didn't want to curl up in his arms was torture.

 _going crazy not touching you, babe_

 _me tooooooooooo_

His eyes sparkled at me from underneath his lashes. I blushed as my whole body went warm. I couldn't stop staring at him. He was so perfect.

"-I won!" Valerie hollered/slurred as she danced around the table, "Told ya I'm not havin' your baby, sucker! Ever! I'M A FREE WOMAN!" she danced harder, "Now I'ma throw up. Shannon! Hold my hair!"

Shannon rolled her eyes, "Yay. Underage drinking is sooo fun."

"Forget it," Val said as she stumbled a few feet away and hurled into a bush. "You're such a lame." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "You and Lux and the new kid should'a just drank like the rest of us. That was the whole point of this thing! We're supposed to be getting hammered and doing fun stuff. It's senior year!"

She narrowed her eyes on me, "Come on, new kid." She zig-zagged towards me and flopped down on my lap. "You're kinda boring, but you're super hot. There's gotta be _something_ fun you like to do." She winked, or tried to wink. She was too drunk so she ended up just blinking really hard instead.

"Uhh…" I looked over at Lux and Shannon but they were too busy laughing to save me.

"It's cold and you could sleep in my tent." She tossed her hair and almost fell off my lap.

"Seriously, Val?" The tone of Greg's voice stopped everyone from laughing. He'd just been joking around with everyone and now he was so angry he was shaking. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

Val turned around to face Greg, " _What?_ "

"You came here with _me_." he said.

"Really?" Val rolled her eyes, "We drove here together. That doesn't make _us_ together. It doesn't make us anything but in the same car! Besides, he's cuter than you and that's not my fault."

Everything changed so fast. Greg had his hands around Valerie's neck before anyone had time to make a move.

"No!" I shouted, lunging towards Greg, but Lux made it to him first, crashing into him so that he lost his hold on Valerie and stumbled back.

"Val!" Shannon screamed as she ran towards her friend. Everyone was shouting as they rushed to hold Greg in place.

 _"What the hell is wrong with you?"_ Lavelle hulked over Greg.

"You see what she's doing! That guy she's all over, he's a queer!" Greg screamed, "Is that what you want, Val? A freakin' _queer_?"

I froze as my heart dropped down to my stomach.

Greg turned to Lux, "I caught him, like, _looking_ at you, man! When we were playing pong he was _staring_ at you. I'm watching _your_ back, right now. He's a queer and I freakin' know it!"

"Enough." Lux growled, his face tightening as he tried to gage the reaction of his other friends. Fists clenched, he looked ready to fight them all if necessary.

I watched too, but no one seemed to know what was going on. They were all too stunned by Greg's super-nova to follow his chain of thought.

Lux grimaced, then turned back to Greg, "Whatever you think you saw, you're way outta line. You hurt Valerie, so you're done."

Lavelle gritted his teeth. He was on the verge of going berserk. "You hurt a girl. Only cowards hurt girls."

" _She came here with me!_ "

Lux shoved Greg back another few feet, "I said _enough._ "

Shannon glared at Greg as she hugged Valerie tighter. "You're bat shit, Greg. You're insane."

"Your friend's a slut, Shannon!"

Roter growled, "Let him go, Lux. He's not gonna stop 'til he gets his ass beat, and I don't mind doin' it."

"Roter," Greg's eyes bulged out of his head as he looked at his friend, "We're brothers, man!"

Roter shook his head, "Not anymore. You always get outta hand when you drink, but this is too far."

Greg scoffed, "So what, you like this fairy too?"

"-Call him that again and I'll kill you." Lux took a step forward, flexing his arms as he approached. "I will kill you."

Greg glanced over the small crowd. He looked surprised and helpless. Anger hardened his features as he cranked his arm over to point at me. "Tell 'em the truth or I'll wreck you!" He hissed at me through clenched teeth. " _Tell 'em you're a fag!_ "

"-This 'fag' will beat the living _shit_ outta you if you hit a girl again. _"_ I hadn't realized that I was confessing until it was already over. But it didn't matter anymore. He was a drunk coward like my dad, and I wasn't going to let him bully me out of standing up for Valerie, no matter what the cost. "I don't have a reason to be ashamed of what I am, but you do. You should hate yourself."

Roter crossed his arms, "And if New Kid doesn't kill you, you can square up with me."

"I call next," Lavelle said.

I stared at Lux's friends. I couldn't believe they'd had my back without missing a beat.

"Fine." Greg murmured, "Then I'm on my own."

"-Gabe!" Lux's voice cut through the darkness as Greg lunged for me. He'd caught me distracted, and before I could react he'd had me tackled to the ground.

I struggled to catch my breath, but his knee hit below my ribs and kept me from inhaling. When he cocked his fist back, I knew he had me pinned too tight for me to get away.

But like I said, he was just like my dad, and if there was one thing I'd learned from my father, it was how to take a punch. I glared up into his eyes as his fist came down. No matter how hard he hit me, I needed him to know that I wasn't afraid.

He flinched at my expression, but didn't hesitate. I braced myself, but instead of feeling the impact, I felt his weight lift off my body. He went flying through the air, then hit the ground a few feet away. Hard.

I turned my head and saw a boot crush down onto his chest, forcing out a heavy moan. I searched upwards, squinting in the dark to see who was doing the damage. I lost my mind the instant I saw who the attacker was.

He was gorgeous as ever, literally perfect, but a look of rage burned in his violet eyes. It was my ex-boyfriend, the ex-love of my life.

It was the vampire, Aryl.

My body burned with a desperate feeling of hunger and want. It shut me down completely. My world started fading away.

"Gabriel," I heard Lux calling for me, felt him pull me into his arms, " _Babe_."

But I couldn't respond to his voice. I was too far gone. I lost track of everything and melted into black.

BLED

 _"_ _Are you sure this is okay? It won't hurt you?" I put my hands on his chest and worried._

 _"_ _Gabriel, I'll be fine."_

 _"_ _All I'm saying is, we don't have to do this. We still have time to go back inside."_

 _He wrapped his arms around me, "We're not gonna go inside. You haven't seen the sun in ten months. It's not good for you to always be in the dark."_

 _"_ _Then I'll stay up here and you can go inside."_

 _He smiled softly, "No, I want you to enjoy this. If I leave you, you'll just be counting down the seconds until you can come back in."_

 _I blushed. He was right. I hated being away from him. Since the day he'd made me his, I'd followed him around like he had me on a leash. Sometimes I tried to break the habit, but it was pretty much as hard to conquer as fighting the urge to breathe._

 _"_ _I know my limits." He said gently. "I promise we'll go back in before it gets to be too much."_

 _I winced as the first light from the sun flooded the horizon. The idea of him getting hurt caused me pain. But his only reaction was to pull me closer into his arms._

 _"_ _Look," he whispered._

 _We were on a rooftop, and if I'd looked up, I would've seen a sky full of pastel clouds being burned away by a golden sun._

 _But I never looked up once. I couldn't take my eyes off of Aryl. Wide mouth, pale skin, violet eyes, and the stare of a predator, even though he barely looked twenty years old._

 _"_ _You're…" I tried to find the words to tell him, but I couldn't. It didn't matter. He didn't look like he was listening. He was distracted by something, concentrating hard._

 _I panicked, "It's hurting you?! The sun?"_

 _He moved one hand to brush the hair out of my eyes. He spread his fingers as they moved, pulling them gently through. The tension prickled over my scalp and down my spine. He clenched his fist before he reached the ends, pulling my hair softly so that my head tipped back. I gasped, and made a sound I'd only made for him when we were in bed._

 _"_ _I've never seen you in the light," his voice was low, "You look like heaven."_

 _I couldn't comprehend it. I loved him so much. The idea that he could want me the same way seemed impossible._

 _His eyes narrowed as he studied every inch of my face. It was like he was seeing something incredible for the first time._

 _I lost control. I couldn't think or speak. But my body was moving. I pressed myself against him, kissing him wildly._

 _And then he was on top of me, one arm beneath me, curling me against him, "How did I find you?" he murmured._

 _And then I saw his fangs glinting in the light of the sun._

 _Hours later, wh_ _en_ _we were home again, he tucked me tightly into his arms. I rested, enjoying the drifting feeling that had overtaken my body._

 _"_ _How are you okay?" I asked listlessly. "Why doesn't it hurt you?"_

 _"_ _I'm old enough to withstand it… for a while. If I were newer, it would destroy me. Now that I'm older I'm able to resist the urge to run."_

 _The warm drifting feeling disappeared, "It hurt you!?"_

 _His eyes glinted as he smiled, "Only for a minute. Then I couldn't feel anything but_ you _."_

HURT

I gasped awake. Aryl was sitting at the end of my hospital bed. His legs were crossed, like he'd been waiting patiently.

It was hard not to lunge for him. No matter how much I hated him for leaving me, my body still craved his blood. I fought down the thirst and focused on the only thing that mattered, _"Did you hurt them?"_

"Of course not. Everyone's fine. Well, Greg will wish he were dead for a few weeks, but that was necessary. Letting anyone hurt you isn't an option."

I let out a sound that was half laughter, half cry. "What would you care? You left me. You made me need you; to sleep, to eat, to breathe, and then you disappeared. You mine as well have left me for dead."

He cocked his head to the side and stared me down, "No. I left you _alive._ You knew everything about me, all my weaknesses, and I still let you live."

He sighed, "I was achingly bored with you after all those years. You were so innocent, so willing to please. It was almost pathetic. -But the way you smell, the way you look, the way you taste; it's perfection. I couldn't imagine that perfection dead in my arms. I couldn't bleed you out like I should've. It was so easy with everyone else, but with you…"

I cringed as the words hit me. Silent tears welled in my eyes. He'd been my best friend and my first love. The fact that he'd been planning to murder me all along was crippling.

He raised an eyebrow as he watched me cry, "Maybe killing you would've been more humane after all."

I choked my tears back as I spoke to him, _"Why are you here?_ How did you even _find_ me here?"

"I didn't have to find you. I've always known where you were. I've been keeping tabs on you since New York." He made a face, "I have to say, considering the apartment I left you, and the money, I'm… disappointed that you came back to this town."

"You don't get to judge me. If you want to tell me why you're here, fine. If you don't, you should leave."

"I'm here because you're going to Our Lady. And you're not coming back."

A wave of fear and confusion washed over me. Our Lady was just a nunnery on the south side of town, but Aryl was talking about it like it was a prison.

 _"_ _Not coming back?"_

"I wish I had time to explain, but I don't." He glanced towards the door. "You'll be there by midnight."

"What's wrong with you?" I clinched my fists, "You think I'm going to leave my whole life just because you say so? For a reason you _won't_ say?

You can justify what you did to me a million ways, but you already crushed everything I had once. You're not doing it again! _Just go_."

His eyes glinted as he leaned towards me, his voice still smooth, "I don't want to be a bully with you, but if you're not at Our Lady by midnight, I'll destroy every single reason you have for staying here, starting with Lux."

Before I could react, he was off of the bed and moving quickly towards the door. He nodded towards a nurse as he breezed past, "I believe Gabriel's awake now," he said before walking down the hallway and out of sight.

ULTIMATUM

"Well there," the nurse said as she came in, "You gave your friends quite a scare. We couldn't wake you up," she checked my IV, which I'd barely noticed until that moment. "Doctors will be in to do more tests," She kept talking but her words turned to white noise. I was too caught up in the horror of Aryl's ultimatum.

"-Babe!"

I jolted back to reality as I heard Lux's voice. He almost dropped his coffee as he rushed into the room. He set it down so he could wrap his arms around me, pressing his lips against my ear, "Are you alright? You okay?" He hugged me tighter.

"-I-I'm fine," I lied, "But what about -Did anyone else get hurt?"

"No. The guy who jumped Greg ran off. We called the cops, but we couldn't wake you up, and I didn't want to wait. They were taking so long and I was scared. I brought you here." He pushed his hand through my hair, " _I was worried about you._ "

"I'm sorry," I said, "Everything's wrong now. It's my fault."

"Greg's the one who went crazy. Everyone's pissed at him, not you. After everything that happened, they just wanted you to be okay."

Nervously, he turned to the nurse, "He's going to be okay, right?"

She nodded, "There's some health issues that the doctor wants to discuss.

You're really underweight, Gabriel, and that can be bad. It's hard on your body all of the time, but especially when you're under stress. It might've been the reason you passed out in the first place, and stayed out for so long."

"I'll eat more. I promise. But I want to go home. I don't need the doctor to come in. I just need to leave."

Lux squeezed my hand, "Maybe we should listen to the doctor first- "

I shook my head, "I need to leave. Now. I'll tell you why later, I promise I will. But please, Lux" I begged, "If you love me, please just take me home."


	5. Chapter 5

*Hey guys, it's Moon. Hope you guys are enjoying this story so far. These next two chapters are where things start to get crazy. If you could, leave me a message or review! Thanks :)*

RUN

I shook my head, "I hadn't seen him for two years until he showed up at the campsite. When I woke up at the hospital, he was there. He's… he's crazy, and if I don't get away from here, he'll hurt you."

"And he's your ex?"

"Yes."

"That's all he is?" Lux glared at me from across my bedroom. I pulled the blankets up around me, trying to shield myself against his intensity.

"You're lying." He answered his own question. "I know that's a lie. You've been hiding something from the beginning and I've been ignoring it for months. But it's tearing us apart now. So tell me the truth, Gabriel. I can't let you leave just because Aryl said so."

I closed my eyes. I could hear the pain in his voice and it was killing me. "I would if I could, but I just… you wouldn't understand."

"I think I already do. You're always shaking. You never eat. Then there's the blackouts, and the random people showing up in the middle of the night: First the guy in the bookstore, and now Aryl too.

I know what it looks like when somebody's strung out, Gabe. I know the sketchy people who come around: addicts, dealers. It's all the same things Mark went through before he OD'ed." He winced as he said the words.

I felt horrified and heartbroken. It was the first time he'd told me how his brother had died.

"Lux, it's not the same."

"-You're lying again." He cringed. "You're funny, beautiful, and amazing, and… everything that anyone could ever want." He rubbed his cheek against his shoulder, trying to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes. "Maybe this guy has something on you, maybe he's the one that got you hooked, but if you give me a chance to fight for you, I could _fix_ this. We could stay together. I promise."

His mouth twisted. He got up from his chair to the other side of the room. He turned his back to me and hung his head. "You know I'm inside out when it comes to you. I have been since before I even met you. In the bookstore, all those times I tried to get up the nerve to talk to you, I already thought you were perfect. And then I met you and I was so wrong. You're so much more than perfect.

I love you." He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, "I don't know how you can just leave. I thought you loved me too."

"-I do." He was hurting so badly that I just couldn't take it anymore. "I love you and I'll tell you the truth, Lux. All of it."

I opened the drawer in the nightstand and pulled out my notebook. My fingers shook as I opened the journal I kept. I knew that once he read the word, 'vampire', everything he felt for me would change. But at least I could finally stop lying to the man I loved.

"Just read," I murmured, "It's the only way to explain."

He looked doubtful as he took it, but grabbed it quickly from my hands.

CONFESS

 _…_ _The thing I remember most vividly about the months after Aryl left is the color of the bathroom tile. I was so sick. I couldn't imagine how or why I was still alive when I couldn't eat or drink or sleep. I just lied still on the bathroom floor and prayed that he would come home._

 _I did not think I could survive that. But it's been a whole year now, and I'm starting over in a new apartment with my own job in my old town._

 _I still hurt. I'm starting to think that without Aryl's blood, I'll be sick forever. But I try not to focus on that because there's good things too._

 _For the first time in thirty years, I'm making decisions for myself. I never chose anything when I was with Aryl. I never wanted to. He owned me, blood and soul. I never had to be an adult, I never got to grow up._

 _But now I'm my own, and I know I can do this._

 _It's been one year._

It had been painful to sit still while he read silently to himself. He looked at the page for a long time. I didn't know if he was reading it over or just trying to decide what he was going to say. His face was blank, emotionless, until he looked at me and then his cheeks turned red. I wondered if he was embarrassed for me because he thought I was crazy or because he thought I was someone who'd just been caught in a desperate lie.

I lowered my head. I couldn't look at him. I didn't even want him to look at me.

"This is real?" he sounded like he wasn't sure he was asking the right question.

"Yes," I nodded.

He turned his head to face the wall. I was leaving him with only two options: that I really had belonged to a vampire or that I was absolutely insane. Either choice would be too much for anyone to handle.

"He's Immortal," I said.

He shook his head, setting the notebook down on the floor, "This is crazy."

"That's why I blacked out when I saw him at the campsite. I panicked. I hadn't seen him in years.

That's why I'm sick all the time. It's his blood. Without it, it's like I'm in withdrawal. Now that I don't have it, I'm not… healthy anymore."

He stared at me the way anyone would stare at you when you were asking them to believe something they thought was absolutely impossible: 'The world is flat. The sun goes around the moon. Up is down. Vampires are real.'

"But the withdrawal doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is he told me I have to leave. If I don't, he'll kill you, Lux. I don't know why, but I know I don't have a choice. He gave me an address and I have to go there."

"Where?"

"I can't tell you."

"This is crazy," he was getting angry again. He held his hands up towards me like he didn't want to hear anymore.

I bit my lip and braced myself for him to tell me 'goodbye'.

"We'll call the police. They'll find out who this guy really is and make sure he doesn't hurt you."

I shook my head, "Nobody can stop him. That's the point. Not even the cops. He _will kill you_."

"-Maybe Aryl tricked you into believing that he's something supernatural, but he's not."

"I know it sounds impossible-"

"It _is_ impossible. Vampires aren't real," he winced at the sentence, like it hurt him that he actually had to explain that to me. "It's just a trick."

"-I was born forty-six years ago. Lux, I've been alive for forty-six years."

His face went pale. "No you haven't."

"I belonged to Aryl for a long time. His blood made it so I can't get older."

"That can't happen!" He clenched his fists, but I could tell he wasn't angry. He was scared. He thought I was losing my mind.

Seeing him look at me like that was one of the worst moments of my life.

"Okay, no police. But let's just talk to someone – the Bannocks. They'll-"

"No! Please!" An image of Aryl waiting for the Bannocks in the dark scraped through my mind and made me shudder. "You have to promise to keep them out of this. You have to lie. Tell them I left because of what happened at the cookout, tell them Aryl's dangerous, tell them I'll call if I can. Tell them anything! _Tell them I'm sorry_.

 _I'm sorry_ , Lux, for everything."

He saw me breaking and moved towards me. He fought to hold it together while he hugged me close.

"I understand if you think I'm crazy for this, or if you hate me for leaving when this doesn't make any sense." I buried my head in his chest, "But I do love you, and if you could just… I only have a few hours left and if you could just…"

I put my hands against his heart and lost the rest of the words in the sea of guilt and fear.

"Just need you- " were the last words I could say before my breath was spent on keeping myself from breaking down.

He slid his arms beneath me, moving me so that he could hold me tight, and kissed me like it was the last time. "Shhh. It's okay," he breathed as he tucked me beneath him, "I love you, and you love me. And that's the only thing I need to believe in." He ran his fingers through my hair, "No matter what's going on, I'll find a way to fix it. And if you leave, _I'll never give up on getting you back._ "

THE NUNNERY

"I'll handle things with the Bannocks, okay? You just focus on staying safe and finding a way to come home."

I nodded as he hugged me. I wanted to believe that there was a way to escape from Aryl and whatever nightmare I was headed towards. It was too much to absorb that this might be the last time that I ever saw his face.

He felt me shaking and lifted my chin so we were eye to eye. "We'll find a way to fix this, babe. I swear."

His kiss sent heat flickering down my spine, and for a second I was so lost in the way we needed each other that I forgot everything else.

Then the moon shone bright through the clouds, reminding me that it was getting closer and closer to midnight.

Pulling away from him was torture. "I should go. It's almost time."

He pulled his fingers through my hair and kissed my cheek, "Okay." He picked my suitcase up and put it in the back of my car.

I got in and he buckled my seatbelt, checking it twice before he closed the door. "I'm gonna see you soon, babe." His eyes sparkled with tears.

"Okay." I answered, because there was no part of me that could've said 'goodbye'.


	6. Chapter 6

"Obedience. That's the main trait required to be a Blood Slave here. You will do anything that the Our Kind who is paying for you wants. You will not question or hesitate. Do you understand?" Jules stared at me from across her desk.

I nodded dumbly as I tried to absorb what she was telling me, tried not to panic, tried not to scream.

I'd spent the whole drive to Our Lady imagining what dark future was waiting for me. A thousand grisly pictures had clawed their way through my mind, but I'd never expected anything as twisted as this.

Jules leaned back in her seat and brushed a hand through her long, silvery curls. The metallic sheen of her hair matched her eyes. She was pretty, but she looked even younger than me, maybe twelve or thirteen years old.

The determination in her eyes and the cruelty in her voice didn't go with her youthful face and club-kid style. She wasn't at all what she appeared to be, and that made her terrifying.

"Aryl's paid a lot of money to ensure that you're enrolled here, but _I_ run this place. I won't give a damn about his money if you can't find a way to fit in here. I only value humans who are willing to please.

-May I?" She extended her hand across the desk.

Without thinking, I pulled away. I knew what she was asking for.

Her mouth twisted into a condescending smile, "You do know that the patrons here will be asking for much more than this? If you're too scared already, then it's time for you to go."

I shoved my hand towards her. No matter how scared I was, there was no way I was going to give Aryl a reason to hurt the people I cared about by getting kicked out of this place.

Before I even had time to flinch, her teeth were in my wrist.

Pulling away, she raised an eyebrow, licking my blood from her fangs. "If you don't freak out and ruin it all, you'll be _very_ popular here."

I swallowed hard as my stomach turned over. I'd been in the Nunnery for less than an hour and I was already lost in a nightmare.

She stood up, grabbed my phone and car keys off of her desk and crushed them in her hands. "Now, let's get you ready. Aryl's requested to see you before your orientation, and he's almost as impatient as I am."

IN

I felt hot all over. My mouth watered. I hated the way my Addiction to Aryl always made me feel so weak. I backed up, trying to put more space between us just so I could think straight.

Aryl knelt in front of the crackling fire and prodded the logs with his bare hand. "This 'Dracula's castle' theme is so depressing." He stood up and wiped the soot on the drapes as he frowned disapprovingly, "Gross."

He sighed, "I'm sorry I was harsh with you in the hospital. After all this time without me that must've been hard for you, but I didn't have much time, and getting you to come here was paramount."

"Do you know what this place is? They're going to use me for blood! They're going to bleed me every day! _Why the hell did you do this to me!_ "

"It's not that big of a deal. They're not allowed to kill you. Jules would destroy them if they crossed that line. Do what she wants and you'll be fine, but we can talk about that later." His voice was calm and low, "You're scared right now, but my blood could make it easier, make it so you don't feel the fear."

"I don't want your blood! You left me, but I made a new life. I found a way to keep going when I'd thought I was going to die without you. Then you showed up and took all that away. You took me away from the only people who ever loved me, just so I could be trapped in this hell! Why can't you understand that I _hate_ you?"

"Watch your tone." He huffed, raising an eyebrow to reinforce the fact that he was hinting at a threat. "What I've done, I did to protect you."

 _"_ _From what?"_

 _"_ _-I made a mistake."_ He barked the words while hitting the wall with his fist and shook the room. "I made someone Our Kind when I shouldn't have.

And now he wants to kill you."

My heart skipped, short-circuited by the mix of anger and fear, _"Kill?_ Me? Why? _"_

"Because it would hurt me. He knows I let you live when I left you. He thinks that you're the only thing I've ever loved."

I heard the laugh leave my throat. It was scratchy and raw, "Love? Leaving me alone to starve was 'love'?"

"It doesn't matter if you believe it." He shrugged as he picked a small statue from the bookshelf, then crushed it to dust in his hand. "Hephastien believes it – enough to rekindle a feud that should've died a hundred years ago.

At first I thought I could stop him. He's made from my blood, and I'm so much older.

But for the past few months, he's been killing his way towards you, bleeding information from the few who know my weaknesses, even the strongest of Our Kind.

He's obsessive, psychotic. The hate in his heart is a weapon that closes the distance in strength between us. If I fought him now, I would lose.

The only peace I have is knowing that it won't come to that. He can't reach you as long as you're here. The Nunnery is a fortress that only Jules controls."

"-What did you to him?"

Every emotion drained from his eyes, "Excuse me?"

"You want me to be grateful that you're saving my life, but if Hephastien hates you enough to kill me, it's because you hurt him. So stop acting like you're the victim and tell me the truth. _What did you do to him?_ "

He was still for a moment. Then he closed in on me swiftly, smoothly, like he was sliding on glass. He tipped his head down so that we were eye to eye. "Would you like to ask him yourself? I could arrange that. You could bond over what a bad person I am before he rips you apart at the joints." His eyes turned black as his voice lowered to a whisper. "I've sacrificed so much to keep you alive, and up until this very moment, I believed that it was worth it. But tell me again that you sympathize with him and I _will_ let him kill you."

I threw myself towards him, swinging to hit him. I knew it wouldn't hurt him at all. He was soft as silk, but indestructible. It didn't matter. I just wanted to _hit_ him _._

He didn't try to dodge me. There was no reason for him to. He let the first punch land against his cheek, but he caught my other fist with his left hand and pulled me into him. He hugged me tight and the second I felt his body against mine I gasped. I clutched onto him for a second, then frantically tried to push away. It was too late. He kept his hold solid, cradling me against his chest.

His lips brushed against my ear. My whole body melted into an old, familiar ache. I was freezing, starving, desperate – and he was the only cure. He was so warm. And so close. I wanted to wrap myself around him and promise I'd never disobey him again.

I fought it, but just trying to deny him was making my head throb.

"D-don't do t-this to me," I stuttered as he seductively bared his fangs, and for the very first time since I'd met him, I begged him _not_ to give me blood. "P-please. Don't. I love Lux. I love h-him."

I was on the verge of panic. I hated him more in that moment than any time before, but I was one blood-tinged kiss away from losing all control.

"Shh," he hushed me softly, "your heart beats because of me. Not only because Hephastien would've found you and torn you down to blood and bone if I hadn't brought you here, but because you would've died in that trailer park if I hadn't taken you away.

Your father would've killed you himself, and your mother would've done _nothing_. She was always more at peace with the idea of mourning you than saving you.

 _I_ saved you from that dark little house with its dark little secrets. And until you can admit that to yourself," he held me closer, "I'm not the one who's in the wrong, Gabriel. _You are_."

He bit his lip and two tiny droplets of blood glittered in the light. Before I even had time to fight it, he kissed me.

As the warmth of it rushed through me, I fought against the cold and desperate way I'd always needed him.

He dropped me, leaving me to ache alone, and was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

ORIENTATION

"Gratitude." A nun wrote the word on the chalkboard in big letters, even though I was the only other person in the room. "Now that you're here, you need to have _gratitude_. When you are chosen by Their Kind, you should look enthusiastic, willing, and _grateful_."

The words blurred before my eyes. I couldn't focus and I didn't want to. I felt like I couldn't take anymore, like this place was already destroying me bit by bit.

"Pride." The nun wrote on the board again. "You should have pride in being here. You are carrying on a legacy that's lasted for hundreds of years.

Long ago, the Sisters of Our Lady tried to rid the world of Their Kind. We learned the hard way that they can not be eradicated, only placated. That's why The Nunneries exist. We give Their Kind a place to bleed without having to hunt or kill.

So by letting them have what they need from you, your service here will save human lives every single day. That is something to be proud of."

She put her chalk down and came to stand in front of my desk. She peered down at me from over her glasses. "In return for the good you do here, they will lavish you with gifts, attention, and health. You will have the chance to live forever.

All you have to do is have _gratitude_ for this opportunity, and _pride_ in the tradition you are upholding."

She crossed her hands in front of her, "Now, there may come a time when you become afraid, or wonder if you've made the right commitment. Those fears are pointless and should be ignored. You will be with us until your heart stops beating – no matter how that comes to pass."

As soon as she said the words, I could taste bile in the back of my throat. For the millionth time that day I tried not to vomit.

"Young man," her voice was harsh this time. "You don't look grateful. You need to start being grateful. Now."

CRY

The halls of the Nunnery were brightly lit, but empty. The nun from orientation led the way without speaking a word.

I was fine with the silence. I was too lost in heartache to have anything to say.

My mind kept trying to comprehend what was coming next, but the future was too horrible to focus on.

Instead I kept thinking of the past that had burned away: 'Is that a 'yes'?', 'Going crazy not touching you, babe', 'Be careful with your heart.'

Memories of the people who loved me clouded my mind like smoke. Aryl had turned the best part of my life into ashes.

-The key clicked in the lock and brought me back to the present.

"The room on the left is yours," the nun said as she pushed open the door.

"Sleep. You'll be needing your rest for tomorrow."

I took the key, then lurched into the apartment. I could barely walk. I was shutting down.

She cleared her throat as she kept the door from closing, "Young man," she raised and eyebrow. " _Gratitude_?"

"Thank you." I choked, slamming shut the heavy door just in time to hide the tears that welled in my eyes. I knew that it was dangerous to let her see me cry.

Alone, I staggered towards the room on the left.

The fireplace was already glowing, hanging shadows from the antique furniture. The windows that lined the far wall were as big as doors and tinted heavy black. The four-poster bed looked like a prop from a black and white movie.

The room was eerie and quiet, just another part of the day's insanity. I was completely exhausted, but even as I climbed under the covers, it seemed like a stupid idea to actually sleep. It seemed dangerous just to close my eyes.

I jolted awake when I heard the front door open. Keys jangled as I tried to count backwards through time. When had I dozed off? How long had I slept? For a second I wondered if it had all been a nightmare. I blinked hard, praying that the room around me would fade back into my dreams.

But then I heard a man with a deep voice humming to himself. The humming got louder as he came closer. I sat up straight, bracing myself as he burst into my room.

"Hey, New Blood!" He sank onto my bed and shook my hand hard, "I'm Josi. I mean, Josiah, but Josi's what they call me. You must be Gabriel!"

A soft Jamaican accent tugged his words into a melody, almost like he was singing a song. The charm of it didn't matter. He was a vampire, sitting right next to me. The panic I felt froze me in place.

"I'm your roomie, roomie! Jules puts all the new recruits with me until they get the hang of things. I'll show you the ropes and get you accustomed to being with the clientele."

I didn't care who he was. "-You came to bleed me?"

"Well I wasn't planning on it, but hey, your call." He winked.

I grimaced and he held out his hands apologetically, "Oh no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Most times, New Bloods can't wait to be bitten, but you're different, huh?" He tipped his head to the side and asked gently, "How'd you end up being recruited?"

I stuttered through the briefest answer possible. "I belonged to a vampire. He made me come here."

His face tensed. "Really? Why?"

I shook my head as tears threatened to take over again.

He nodded, "You don't have to say it. I understand. This just isn't where you want to be. I get it.

When I got here I was human too, and I was sad. Buuut I'm lucky the nuns found me in the first place so I learned to make a life of it. I got recruited from the hospice. Most of the people here got chosen because they were sick.

I had a cancer that lives in the bones. There was no hope. I was lying in my hospital bed, waiting to die. So when the nun showed up and asked me if I wanted to come here, I said 'yes I did'. I mean, I didn't even hesitate. At that point you could'a told me you were taking me to the damn tooth fairy. I would've done anything to keep my life.

Then they brought me to the Nunnery. One dose of Their blood later and I was right back to healthy and handsome. Few years later, Jules made me Our Kind, and that's when I got _real_ handsome." He laughed as he stretched out his arms and flexed. "I mean, wowzers! _Right_?"

Without even thinking about it, I laughed too. He was one of those people who could pull off being cocky without sounding like a jerk. "You remind me of this girl, Val. She'd say that."

"A friend from back home?"

"Yeah, my boyfriend's-" I paused. Thinking of Lux sent a pain through my chest. "A friend of my boyfriend's."

"You mean Mr. Immortal?"

"No… The vampire's my ex."

"Ahh, so that's why you're so sad. You miss your BF."

I nodded as I concentrated hard on keeping it together as I thought of Lux and the Bannocks, "And my family. I didn't get to say goodbye. I just left."

He frowned. "You know what? Once, a long time ago, I begged the nuns to check on my family, to spy and see if they were all okay. When they did, guess what they told me. Everyone was fine. I asked the nuns if they were smiling when they saw them and they said 'yes'. Everyone was smiling bright.

So I guess what's important to remember is that the people you love will heal. If you remember that, then you can heal. And you can try to find peace here.

It gets easier, Gabe." He patted me on the back. "I promise.

Uh-oh, I always do this thing where I talk too much. I mean I just popped in here out of the blue and I'm still talking your face off.

Lemme shut up and let you get some sleep. It's probably been one hell of a day, yeah? You probably need to like, decompress.

But hey, tomorrow I'll show you around, help you get the hang of the place. Just call me when you wake up, okay? I'll probably be out roaming around, but all you have to do is pick up." He pointed towards the phone on the nightstand that was so old I'd thought it was just for decoration. "It'll ring down to whoever's handling the calls and they'll connect you to me, no problem. Our Kind is allowed cell phones."

"Oh, okay. I will." I nodded.

"Cool. In the meanwhile, you can sleep good. You've got time before you even have to think about being bitten. You don't have to worry about that tonight at all, promise."

"Thanks, Josi." I said, and I meant it. So far he was the only thing about this place that wasn't horrifying.

But that couldn't change the fact that my heart was shredded. As soon as I was alone again, I cried myself to sleep.

 _"_ _It's going to hurt, love."_

 _"_ _I shook my head, "It's okay. I want you to do it," That was an_

 _understatement. I'd decided a long time ago that I wanted to be Aryl's forever. Actually, it hadn't been a decision at all. There was no other choice for me, no other possible life that I could bear._

 _I stared at the sand-colored fangs he held in his hands. They were still razor sharp, but they looked like fossils, ancient relics compared to the new, bleach-white teeth that peeked over his bottom lip._

 _"_ _Close your eyes," I was frightened by the seriousness in his voice._

 _He pressed the fangs into my left ankle one by one. For a second the darkness behind my eyelids turned to blinding light. I clamped my hand over my mouth and tried not to make a sound._

 _He lied down next to me, where I was curled up on the floor. He reached for me._

 _I stared into his eyes and concentrated. I felt my heartbeat slow._

 _"_ _Forever," he brought me back to sanity with that one word._

 _"_ _Forever."_

NIGHT TWO

"Hey, Gabe. How ya feelin'?"

"I'm okay." I lied, twisting the cord of the phone between my fingers.

I'd woken up feeling completely disoriented. There was no clock in the room, and since all the windows were tinted black, I'd had no idea how long I'd slept.

"I just woke up… is it late?"

"It's two a.m."

I couldn't believe I'd slept for a solid twelve hours. "I'm sorry."

"No way. Don't be. You're back on vampire time, remember? It mine as well be noon. Besides, you must've needed a rest. It's okay.

But hey, I'm on the bottom floor. Why don't we meet in the atrium on your level?

They got rid of all your things, but there's clothes and stuff for you in the closet so you can get ready. I'll meet you in thirty?"

"Okay." I said, trying not to sound as desperate as I felt. The pain of waking up so far away from Lux was worse than any withdrawal and I didn't want to be alone with it anymore.

"Perfect. I'll see you soon."

The minute I was off the phone I headed for the shower, then picked some clothes at random. They fit, but they didn't feel right. They were expensive and nice, but I didn't feel like me.

'I'm not here to be me.' The dark thought ran through my mind. 'I'm here to be what the customers want and this is the easiest part. This is just clothes, the part I can survive, but the rest-' the fireplace sputtered and dwindled, interrupting my thoughts, reminding me that I'd rather find Josi than to sit alone in the shadows.

I turned away from my reflection in the mirror and headed towards the door.


	8. Chapter 8

NEW KID

"Hey! We were wondering when the new kid was gonna show up!" A guy with perfectly pale skin, blue eyes, and strawberry blonde hair was leaning against the wall, smirking.

He wasn't alone, there were six people standing around him and they all looked as smug as he did.

He threw his arm around my shoulder, "Everyone's been talking about you, kid. You know Jules gave your blood a rating yesterday? It's official!"

"I don't care about it." I tried to slide past them so I could keep going down the hall. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I was pretty sure it was one more twisted thing about this place that I didn't want to know.

"Are you crazy?" He put his arm out to block me. "How your blood gets rated is everything here. And you know what? Looks like Jules gave you five stars!"

"Congratulations!" Another guy in the group sneered as they all clapped their hands.

"You are in for a ride, man! Five-stars get bled more than anybody. So I hope you're a bite-fiend or you're gonna be _exhausted_."

"I'll get through it." I said as I shrugged his hand off my shoulder.

"I hope so. You're only safe here if you're making Jules money, and she can't make money off duds, ya know? Just some friendly advice."

I gritted my teeth, "Yeah. Thanks."

I didn't know what was worse, the fact that somehow, the Nunnery had become even more dangerous, or that this place felt just like high school.

Even though I was on my way to meet Josi, I was pretty sure I needed to go home, throw up, and go back to bed.

"Oh, Dylan! You've gotta be kidding me!" Josi appeared out of nowhere. "Are you that intimidated that there's another five-star here?" He laughed.

Dylan frowned, "Intimidated? _No._ I'm just trying to help out the new kid."

"Ohhh, I don't believe that, not for one second! You're all scared that his blood is better than yours." He grinned at the group that had been backing Dylan up. "And I got bad news for you. _It is_."

Everyone's faces turned red. Dylan looked pissed, but he finally shut up.

Josi winked, then threw his arm around me and pulled me through the small crowd. "See you guys at the auction, okay?"

He whistled a few bars to a random song until we'd distanced ourselves from the group. "Don't listen to that wad. Five-stars are rare. Your clients will treat you well and you'll get the best of everything.

The other five-stars are competitive, so you'll have to be tough. But trust me, it's a blessing in disguise, okay?

Now, let me show you around. It's a big place, and every floor is like a giant maze. I got lost a lot when I first came here, and I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of scared! Old buildings always give me the heebie-jeebies, but this one takes the cake."

He turned a corner and we started down a wide staircase, "Top floor is for Blood Slaves. Middle floor is for nuns and underground in the catacombs is where the vampires have the auctions.

They've got everything down there; game room, sauna, pool. It's really fun. But what I'm gonna show you is even cooler."

I felt cold air rush towards me as he creaked open a door.

"Wait till you see this." He said as I followed him outside. "It's the bell tower."

The second I looked up I felt a lump in my throat. We were standing directly below a gigantic bell hanging high in the air. It was impossible to stand beneath it and not visualize getting squashed.

"It's a long way up." He said. "Let's cheat."

Before I had time to answer, he grabbed me and leaped up the square staircase that lined the walls of the tower. In ten seconds we were at the top.

We'd moved so fast that it took me a moment to realize I was back on my own two feet. "…Okay, you could warn me the next time you're about to vampire out on me!"

He laughed, "Now where would be the fun in that? Now come on." He waved me over to one of the huge openings around the bell. "You can see the sanctuary from here."

I came a little closer and looked out. Images of robed saints glowed from all of the stained glass windows down below.

"Wowzers, it's beautiful, right? Like a Christmas ornament! Plus," he pointed out over the lights that dotted the distance. "I love this view. It makes me feel like I'm not even at the Nunnery anymore. When I'm up here it's like I'm far away, somewhere else. I can just chill." He sat down on the narrow ledge and put his feet over the side. "Have a seat, homie."

"I'm good. You're immortal. If I fall off, I just die."

"Exactly! It's scary, I know, but that's why you should do it. Getting by in this place is all about not letting your fears get the best of you, especially for where you're coming from."

He spoke gently, "For the rest of us, we're here because our lives were ending, but when you came, it meant leaving your whole life behind. There's gonna be times when that seems like too much and you're really afraid, but you have to believe that you can get through it.

That's why I wanted to show you this place. Once you know you're strong enough to face your fears, you can get through anything.

Besides," he said, lightening the mood with one of his neon grins, "I just showed you I'm _really_ fast. If you fall, I'll catch you."

I'd started out holding on to the ledge for dear life, but Josi was pointing out different landmarks in the city, different constellations in the sky, and before I knew it I was too distracted by all the interesting things he was showing me to remember to be afraid. Out in the night, so high up, I could almost forget about the Nunnery below.

"You were right," I said, "I love it up here."

"I knew it. I knew you were brave enough! You're gonna be fine here. For sure. And I'm gonna be around to help-"

He was interrupted by the sound of his phone vibrating. When he looked down at the screen his face went blank.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Jules. We have to leave." He winced. "…She wants me to take you to the auction."

I felt my whole body convulse involuntarily. Josi grabbed my arm and held me to make sure I kept my balance.

He looked helpless, "I'm so sorry, Gabe. It's never happened like this before. I swear I thought we had more time."

I nodded dumbly. I felt numb.

"We've gotta go," he said gently, "Things will get bad if you're late."


	9. Chapter 9

ACHE

The catacombs were a winding network of ancient dungeons that the Nunnery had filled with shiny new things. Torchlight charred crumbling bricks while crystal chandeliers glittered from the ceilings. Uneven floors made of dirt and stones were accented with fancy carpets. It was the perfect example of what the Nunnery was; a jail for humans all made up to look like something good.

The immortals slid into the room, all wearing expensive looking outfits, waiting for the auction to begin. They eyed us, the humans, appraisingly as we stood side-by-side on a low stage in the center of the floor.

I shook as my mouth watered. I'd never been this close to so many of Their Kind at once. I lost my balance and swayed a little as I felt that desperate, self-betraying need start to overwhelm me.

As quickly as I could, I took a deep breath, clenched my fists and tried to hold steady, but it was too late. Every immortal snapped their head towards me as hunger turned their eyes pitch black.

It was like being surrounded by a pack of wolves, knowing for certain you were going to die, and wondering exactly which one was going to eat you.

"Usually we save the best for last," Jules' voice snatched my attention. She wrapped her sharp, red fingernails around the banister as she looked down from a balcony on the far wall, "but we can't save this one for last, now can we? Not this human with perfect blood who hasn't been fed in two years. With him in the room, how could you think about anyone else?"

She grinned and beckoned with one red fingertip, "Will you step forward, Gabriel?"

When she said my name, my knees buckled, but I managed to make it to the front of the stage.

"-The bidding starts at ten." Jules announced the opening offer.

And just like that, I was officially up for auction.

I stared up at one of the chandeliers. The whole floor was in a frenzy. I couldn't look at all of them.

The bids rose higher and higher.

"Twenty thousand," I heard a voice say, and heard his confidence grow as he bid more and more, until finally, his competitors fell silent.

"- _Forty thousand._ "

I jerked. I knew that voice. Out of nowhere, Aryl appeared in the crowd.

We locked eyes and I felt sick. He was smirking, enjoying the terrified look on my face.

"Fifty grand."

"Sixty." Aryl's voice was calm and smooth.

"Eighty thousand dollars!"

Aryl turned to face Jules, "Twenty grand more than whatever he bids for the rest of the night." He cocked his head to the side and waited.

The vampire glared at Aryl, then stared at me. He looked defeated.

"Be grateful you lost." Aryl smiled, "You wouldn't have had a good time with him anyway. He's addicted to my blood."

"-It's done, Aryl," Jules scolded, " _Take him._ "

Aryl focused on me, then moved slowly towards me through the crowd, which glowered at him as he passed. He stepped onto the stage and pulled me close, lifting me to his chest with one arm.

"See what happened?" he put his lips against my ear, "See what you caused here? Every one of Our Kind in this room was willing to pay a fortune for you, and still, I'm the only one with the means to call you 'Blood Slave'.

No matter who has you for the night, no matter who you loved before you came here, you will always belong to me. So act like it. I'm not going to beg for you, Gabriel. Begging is your job."

He dropped me and moved away.

"-Jules, on second thought," he adjusted his suit coat and turned his back to me. "I'm in the mood for something different." He pointed to Dylan. "Of course I'll pay the same price to make up for your trouble."

"Of course you will." Jules said, "Now, I've let you make your point. Let me get on with my business."

"Gladly," Aryl left the room without even looking back.

Dylan winked at me as he followed closely behind.

I tried to hold myself together, but my stomach flipped over as the crowd started shouting out bids for me again.

"No. The bidding on this one is done for the night," Jules announced. "He's worth no less than what Aryl was willing to pay. Get your affairs in order and you can bid on him next time. Tonight, Josi, take him away."

Josi appeared, then scooped me up like a bag over his shoulder and carried me out of the room. It felt like he was saving my life.

He tried to set me down, but he couldn't. My legs folded beneath me. He pulled me close as I broke. I sobbed.

"- _He still owns me._ " I was shaking so hard I could barely say the words. "I hate him so much and he _owns_ me, no matter how bad I want to get away."

"He doesn't own you." Josi put his hands on my shoulders. "You were right there next to him. He was trying to break you and you didn't fall apart. You were strong."

"-Excuse me," a voice interrupted. A nun I'd never seen before was standing a few feet away. "Gabriel, would you follow me? You have an appointment. One of Their Kind is waiting for you."

It felt like the moment before you get in a car accident, just a sudden rush of fear that sears its way through your body. Panic burned through my skin, all the way down to the bones.

" _No._ " Josi shook his head as he held on to me, shielding me from her, "He wasn't auctioned. No one bought him tonight."

"I'm sorry." The nun held her hands out apologetically, "Jules made other arrangements."

"Why would she do this!" He banged his fist against the wall. "What's the point of torturing him? It's never happened like this before. It's like she's _trying_ to break him!"

"Josi, please?" She whispered, "You know there's no choice when Jules is involved. If you try to stop this, it'll be bad for you."

"I don't care! This isn't right! You tell her to come here and tell me to my face."

"No." I shook my head as I pushed gently away from Josi. I took a couple of wobbly steps. "I don't care what I have to do I'll do it.

If I don't she'll hurt you, and Aryl will hurt my boyfriend, and my friends." I fought to stand up straight. "And I'm not letting them hurt any of you guys. They took everything else. _I can't let them take you guys from me_."

His brow creased as he stared down at me. I could see how worried he was, but he nodded like he understood. "When it's over, you come right back home. I'll be there, okay?"

I felt my lip tremble, "Please, be there."

His calico eyes glinted as he nodded, "I promise."

BLED

A man was sitting on the bed, facing away from me. In the firelight, he was only a dark figure, sitting perfectly still.

"-They said your blood was perfect." His voice was soft but I could tell he was speaking through clenched teeth. "I thought I understood, but now you're here and… _you're so much more than 'perfect'_."

The raw need bleeding just beneath the whispered words was terrifying. Staying in the room was excruciating. All I wanted to do was run.

"You're scared." He said, and I could hear the guilt in his voice. I wondered if he could hear the panic in my heartbeat, hear the sound of me trying not to lose my breath.

"Please," he said quietly, "I'm not here to hurt you. I wouldn't hurt you."

"-I'm not afraid." I could barely tell the lie.

He nodded slowly, "Can I ask you to come closer?"

I inched forward. Every step I took closer to him felt like the last step off a cliff.

Finally I was standing behind him, but I couldn't bring myself to round the corner, to see his face.

He waited a moment, then silently turned towards me.

The second I saw what he looked like, I started coming apart.

I was staring into eyes that I'd never seen before, the glowing, predatory gaze of an Immortal.

But the person behind them was mine.

" _Lux._ " I clamped my hands over my mouth, shuddering as my heart broke. " _Please tell me you're not here. You can't be here…"_

"Gabriel," he winced, "It's me."

"No, no, no _…"_ I choked through tears I couldn't fight anymore. Somehow, the darkest part of my life had changed Lux forever.

He moved away, hiding himself in the shadows. "I promised I'd bring you home and this was my _only_ chance." His voice cracked as he confessed. "I knew you might not be able to love me once you saw what I am now, but-"

I threw myself towards him, kissing him hard and hating myself for letting him think he was anything less than the love of my life. Caught up in all my fears, I'd completely missed what mattered most.

He pressed himself against me and growled softly. I could feel how badly he wanted my blood.

Suddenly, he breathed out hard, moving away so quickly that I felt cold without him.

 _"_ _-I have to get away from you."_

I reached for him.

" _-Kill you_." He choked out the words and I froze. "Jules said I could kill you by mistake. Because I'm new."

I tried to keep my voice steady. I could see the pain and hunger in his eyes and I knew that if he gave into it too quickly, I'd be dead in his arms in seconds. "She's right. Sometimes when you're new you can't hold back, but I know you can. If you couldn't, you would've already hurt me.

As long as I have your blood first, we'll be fine. Trust me?"

He shook his head. "Can't risk it. Can risk hurting you." Red tears were running down his beautiful face. He looked desperate and terrified. _"Run."_

"Never." I said, and I meant it. I would've rather died instead. "I know you're scared to bleed me, but you need to. _I_ need you to _._ "

" _Need_ ," he breathed the word, closing the distance between us instantly, and pulling me in. "I love you so much," he shook as he slid his tongue across his fangs hard enough to draw blood, then wrapped his hand around my neck and kissed me.

'Jolt.' 'Burn.' 'Love.' 'Need.' 'Thirst.' I couldn't think one complete sentence. My emotions were on overdrive. He felt so good it hurt.

" _Now?_ " I begged, and the second the word left my lips his fangs were buried deep.

Immediately, I was lost in everything I'd ever wanted. Somehow, after all of the pain and all of the darkness, I was being bled by the love of my life.

I finally _belonged_ to him.


	10. Chapter 10

DANGEROUS

"Gabriel," Lux whispered as soon as I woke up in his arms. His voice was soaked in guilt. He nuzzled against me, "did I hurt you?"

I struggled to take his pain away, fighting for words that could describe how good he'd felt, but his blood was still working through me with every heartbeat and I could barely keep my words straight. "Love you… Can we… Please… More?"

Instantly, the worry on his face melted away. "Love you. Yes we. Definitely more.

God, I'm so glad I found you."

His voice was soft and warm, but his words were an alarm going off in my head.

"How _did_ you find me?" It was a question I'd completely forgotten to ask. Until that moment, being back with him was the only thing I'd thought about.

I bit my lip as I waited for the answer. There were so many loose ends, and for all I knew, they were all unraveling.

He winced as he confessed, "When I was putting your suitcase in your car I hid my I-Pad under the seat."

"You tracked it?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Then, with everything going sideways at the cookout, I just blamed us leaving on Greg. I told my dad and the Bannocks that you needed time away so we were getting out of town for a minute.

The Bannocks understood. My dad was kind of angry, but I wasn't giving him a choice and he knew it.

It wasn't a perfect way out, but I figured it would buy us time to deal – with whatever this was.

After that, I just started driving. All I could think about was trying to find you."

I stared up at him in disbelief. "You got here the same day I did?"

"Yeah. I showed up at the church and your car was right there in the parking lot.

I came in and I thought it was gonna be easy… it's just a church… I didn't know…"

He blinked and stared off into nothing, "The nuns kept saying that you weren't here. I started to lose it a little. I knew they were lying and I wasn't leaving without you.

I had my phone out and I was about to call the cops, but they stopped me and called Jules down. When I saw her," his face went blank as he got lost in the past, "it was the first time I thought you'd been telling the truth.

She looks like she's twelve," he swallowed hard, "but she's not a kid. The way she is, you can feel it."

He blinked again and concentrated on the pattern on the sheets. "She asked me a ton of questions that didn't matter. Then Aryl showed up, and I knew she'd just been stalling until he came.

But he didn't say anything. His eyes turned black and he stared at me, and I thought I wasn't going to get to you. I didn't think he was planning on letting me leave.

And then it was like a light bulb went off. His eyes kind of faded to blue – or more like purple – and he asked Jules what it would cost for her to 'change' me.

I didn't even know what that meant, but I thought it might give me a chance. I followed her to a room in the basement and- "

He stopped short, like he was telling me more than he'd meant to, something bad that he didn't want to remember.

My heart ached as I watched him swallow down the memory and take a deep breath.

"Lux, I'm so sorry."

"No. I don't know what made him change his mind, or why he had her make me into this, and right now, I don't even care."

He ran his hands softly through my hair. "Now I get to hear it when your heart beats faster for me. I get to taste how perfect you are when I have your blood. I get to love you forever. I get to be yours forever."

He'd always stared at me like I was something incredible, but now his stare was fueled by a hunger that made me ache inside.

I wrapped myself around him, "Yours?"

It was the only word that meant anything anymore. The rest of the world was spinning out of our control, but right then it didn't matter. Belonging to him was the only thing I needed.

He tipped his head to the side as his eyes glowed. "Mine." He said the word like it was a vow. _"Always."_

He stopped short just before our lips met. His expression darkened as he looked towards the door.

"Of course he'd come now." He spit out the name. _" Aryl."_

"So Gabriel's only a little worse for wear." Aryl eyed my ripped jeans, my shirt with missing buttons: the clothes Lux had nearly torn off of me when he'd bitten me the night before.

Lux's face tensed, but he kept his voice level. "You wanna tell us why you're here?"

Aryl shrugged, "I came to tell you that you're leaving. You two are joining a Slaughter as soon as you can."

Lux felt me shiver and held my hand tighter, "Slaughter?" he asked calmly.

"A Slaughter is a coven of Our Kind. There's hundreds of them in cities around the world living side-by-side with humans. Living like they _are_ human.

To make sure the humans never catch on, each faction abides by the same strict rules.

Joining them won't protect you from Hephastien, but their rules will give you the upper hand."

Lux bristled, "Why would you even risk sending Gabriel there instead of keeping him here where he's safe?"

"Because I don't know how long I can keep him here before Hephastien gives up on killing him and comes after me instead. So either I spend the rest of time hiding from Hephastien," he grimaced, "or I find a way to kill him.

I choose kill. And I choose you to help me do it."

"That's why you had me changed me over?"

Aryl grinned condescendingly, "Who better than you? Who would be more willing to risk dying for Gabriel than you?"

Lux caught Aryl's mocking tone and shot back with conviction. "No one. If you're too scared to fight for him, I will."

Aryl raised an eyebrow, "Immortal and you still might die young." He shook his head. "According to Slaughter laws, Gabriel is property. He's owned by you, because you're the one bleeding him now, and by me, because he still has my fangs."

 _'_ _Fangs'_. The word was a wave, a flood of painful memories that rushed through my mind.

The same tide swept a look of confusion across Lux's face, then ebbed away. He stayed quiet as Aryl continued.

"That means the Slaughter won't let Hephastien lay a finger on Gabriel unless he can kill _us_ first."

Lux didn't flinch. I choked down my fear.

"So if he wants to come for us, he'll have to wait until the date and time the Slaughter sets. That's it. It ends when he's dead or we are." Aryl turned his attention towards the fireplace.

"I'll be here in the Nunnery. So call me when he turns up."

"What if he doesn't?" I felt a flutter of hope. "What if he decides it's not worth the risk?"

"Trust me, Hephastien's crazy enough to take any risk. He's also crazy enough to make it a dangerous fight. Even with the two of us against him, he'll be hard to kill."

He was quiet for a moment.

"Still, it's worth the risk. If we win, I'll get my freedom, you'll get to keep your boyfriend and all of this will be over and done."

Lux growled, "I'll do it, but only if when this is 'over and done' we never _see you again_."

"You'll leave soon." Aryl said, staring at his nails like he was bored. "Jules will give you more instructions before you go.

In the meantime, remember to be careful with our property, Lux." His next words were punctuated with stark white fangs, "I really hate sharing my stuff."

He smirked then disappeared, leaving me to fall apart.

Lux caught me as my knees buckled, "Babe," he pulled me close, "It's gonna be okay."

I shook my head, "No, it's not. It's happening all over again. The more you're around me, the more you get hurt. You can't fight Hephastien. If Aryl's afraid of him, then he's way too dangerous. You have to find a way out!"

"-You're my way out. Out of a life I didn't want, out of a lie I was trapped in. I met you, and the way you saw me made me feel like I was good enough to just be myself.

Now that I have the chance to feel like that forever, it feels like the luckiest I've ever been in my life.

I'm gonna win this, because I'm meant to be with you. All you have to do is let me." He slid his hands up the back of my shirt.

"Yours?" He pleaded.

"Mine." I said, because there was no other answer. "Always."

GAMBIT

"We could just stay in bed." I said as I curled up against him. Safe under the blankets, he'd kissed away all the fear and panic that had threatened to take me over. I didn't want to move until we absolutely had to.

"But it's an orchard, and there's lights! They turn everything blue! I went there last night when you were sleeping and I couldn't wait to show you! It's something, _one thing_ , that's not scary right now and you deserve that.

We'll only be gone for a little while. Please? I already called the nuns and got us clothes for it. I got you a jacket and everything."

I'd known from the start that I was going to give in, because I always did when it came to him. "Okay fine. But as soon as we get back to bed we get to- "

I didn't even have to finish my sentence.

"- _For hours_."

I yanked at my puffy coat, "I look like a dork."

"No, you don't," he said as he pulled my hood up and tied my scarf, "You look like a rational human being that doesn't want to get frostbite. A rational, adorable human being."

I sighed, "It's not the South Pole."

"It's November in Toledo! It's literally colder than the South Pole. Besides, this is gonna be worth it! Trust me."


	11. Chapter 11

LEAP

"You don't trust me?" Lux held out his hand and waited for me to take it.

"I do! But I kind of trust gravity more. So far in my life, it's been super consistent."

He laughed. "Come on, you have a vampire of your very own, at your every beck and call, and you don't want to do something awesome?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you, _staying alive_ sounds awesome!"

We were standing in the middle of the orchard. It was cut off from the rest of the land by a high fence and dense trees. Blue lights wound through the paths that spiraled out ahead of us.

Lux's eyes shone a beautiful shade of turquoise in the electric glow. "Look, if you'd prefer to do this the hard way, that's just fine with me."

I took a boxer's stance and put my fists up, _"Try it."_

He winked at me, "If that's the way you want it."

Before I even knew it, I was rushing past tree limbs. My brain turned over in my head as I went flying into the air. I heard the swish of branches as I went up and up and up. I said a lot of cuss words on my way towards the sky.

But, 'up' was the easy part. I reached the summit of my trip and then I started to fall. I considered screaming, but I'd lost all my breath on cussing and I was too low on air.

"-Gotcha!" Lux appeared out of nowhere, standing on one of the massive pine limbs beside me. He stopped my freefall gently with just one arm and kissed me on the lips before throwing me again, even higher into the night air.

"I HATE YOUUUUUU!" I was trying to yell, but it kind of came out like I was yodeling instead.

Then he was beside me, standing on another branch before I'd even reached the apex of the launch. I glowered at him as I swept past. Of course he caught me on my way back down.

"Ready for the best part?" He didn't wait for my answer. Instead he dropped me and I plummeted.

This time I had enough breath. I wailed at the top of my lungs, and when he caught me, he did some sort of barrel roll that sent us tumbling through the air.

He stuck the landing, held me overhead, and shook me while he yelled, "YEAAAH!"

And then I puked.

He looked up at me, "Babe, you just vommed on my shoes."

"…We both know that you deserved it."

"So let's be honest, how much of our future do you think involves dropping me off of stuff? I mean, it's our second night, and you're already super into it. So cards on the table, how much puking am I gonna be doing on a weekly basis?"

"Hmm," He pulled me closer to him in bed and made a face like he was calculating, "Wake up, drop you off of something; lunchtime, drop you off of something; take a break to bite you for a little bit; early evening, drop you off of-"

"-I'm breaking up with you."

He laughed, "Fine, I won't drop you off stuff! But I'm Immortal now with all these superhero powers. You're supposed to help me find out all the things I can do!"

"I'm pretty sure super-strength, super-speed, and throwing me off of stuff is where the list ends."

He grinned, "What about this?"

I knew he was about to do something stupid, but I wasn't fast enough to dodge it. The next second he had me wrapped up like a mummy in the blankets.

"Real mature!" my voice was muffled by the comforter around me.

"Heheh," I could hear him laughing as he shook me from side to side. "Say I've got crazy superpowers now."

"Never!"

"Fine," he said as he unrolled me, "but we both know it's true."

The next time I blinked, he wasn't beside me anymore. I bolted upright and looked around the room.

"DO NOT BURRITO ME AGAIN!" I yelled, already laughing because I knew he was about to do it. "Okay, fine! Just get it over with!"

Suddenly, I felt a light breeze and realized that the sliding door to the orchard was cracked. I stared at it for a minute, starting to feel uneasy.

"Lux?"

I got up and moved slowly towards the door, "Where are you? Come out."

I took another step closer then jumped ten feet in the air when he reappeared on the other side of the glass.

He was talking like a drill sergeant, "Do you know a vampire named Josiah?"

I was so caught off guard that I stuttered, "J-Josi? Why? Is he here? He's here?!" I slid the door open and ran blindly into the night.

Josi caught me as I knocked into him. I hugged him as hard as I could.

I'd been terrified I wouldn't have the chance to see him again. It had hurt like hell to think that after all he'd done for me, I might never get to thank him, or even say goodbye.

I'd let it hurt in silence. Lux had already taken on the weight of all my other fears. Heaping another one on the pile would've been selfish to say the least.

"I was scared I wouldn't see- " I lost the words as the pain of the thought ran through me.

"Aw, come on. You know I'd never let that happen." He held me at arms length and smiled. "Look at you! No more withdrawal, yeah? You're healthy now!"

"Lux- Changed- They- He- " There was so much happening that I couldn't get the words straight.

Josi nodded like I'd made perfect sense. "Jules told me.

I'm glad you made it through, Lux. I know how tough it can be."

"Thanks. Sorry I came at you harsh out there." He nodded towards the orchard while they shook hands. "Everything's sideways right now and it's got me paranoid."

"It's my fault for creeping up on you, but I didn't want anybody to see me here.

I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but you _can't_ go through with Aryl's plan." His expression tensed as he explained. "Jules told me herself, Aryl doesn't want you to live through the fight. He doesn't want you owning Gabriel. He just wants to use you to wear Hephastien down.

You're newer, so you're not as fast as Aryl. That means that when the fight starts, you're gonna be the one taking most of the blows. Aryl's only gonna jump in once Hephastien starts to get tired.

He's acting like he has your back, but once you're in that ring, you'll be on your own. He can only win by letting you die. It's all a setup."

His words made my stomach feel like I was free-falling, helpless and panicked at the same time. Now we knew that we were walking into a trap, but there was no way to save ourselves. Aryl had too much control over us. We couldn't just tell him 'no'.

I heard my voice shaking as I said the realization out loud, "There's no way out."

"-There is," Josi nodded. "the Nunnery in Auburn Hills. It's run by a guy named Deering, and he hates Jules. They compete for clientele, compete for New Blood, so they're never on good terms.

He probably would've agreed to take you in for free, just to screw up her plans, but I wanted to make sure he'd keep you safe from Aryl and the Auctions. So I shoved money at him and he gave me his word. You can stay there as long as you want.

And now that Lux is here, you'll have someone to protect you just in case he thinks about getting skeezy, so it should definitely work." He paused. "I know it's not the best plan – I know it's not freedom – but maybe it could be the next best thing."

My mouth opened and closed. I was too overwhelmed to process it all. He was saving our lives, and no words seemed big enough for that.

Lux's features hardened. "What about you? What if Jules finds out that you helped us? What would she do?"

"Jules is no big deal." He glanced away while he told the lie. "Besides, it's already done, all set up and paid for. All you have to do is go for it.

It'll be easy. Let 'em think you're leaving for the Slaughter, then skip and head north to Auburn Hills. You can make it."

He handed me a scrap of paper with an address on it.

I shook my head, "I'm not leaving you here. I never would've made it without you and I can't-"

Suddenly his attention was jerked away by something in the distance, a sight or sound my human senses couldn't perceive.

He and Lux bristled and I stopped talking.

"We're out of time." Josi said. He looked towards Lux. "Once you leave don't stop for anything." He winced. "And once you make it there watch out for him. I've done what I can to make sure he'll be safe, but with blood like his…"

I flushed.

Lux nodded, a dark anxiety creased his features, "I know. I will. Watch out for yourself too, Josi. I can't even… thank you. For everything. I owe you."

Josi shook his head, "We're even. Just make it to Auburn Hills so I can know that Aryl's getting what's coming to him. The Nunnery's supposed to be about giving people a second chance at life, not ruining what they already had. After everything Aryl tried to take from you, he deserves to face Hephastien on his own.

Let him sweat for once." He grinned at me devilishly. "Right?"

I nodded, trying to smile back at him while keeping the tears from taking over. Leaving him behind was the last thing I wanted to do.

"Have a good life, Gabriel." His lightning grin sparked against the night. "You deserve it."

And just like that, he was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

THINGS THAT HURT

Jules' office looked different now. Probably because everything had turned upside down since the first time I was there.

A nun had arrived to take us to her only minutes after Josi had left. Now we were sitting at her desk while I nervously wondered if she could sense that things had changed. I felt like the lie was too fresh, that the hope of escape was too bold, that it clung to us like cigarette smoke she could smell on our clothes.

"I see you managed not to kill Gabriel." She said calmly. If she knew we were scheming she didn't let it show.

"Disappointed?" Lux asked, matching her cold expression.

"Not at all. Just surprised. If Gabriel had been my first bleed, there's no way I could've kept control, but you did." Her eyes darkened. "I guess Aryl was right; you really love him." It was like she was giving her condolences. Her voice was low and somber.

He reached for my hand and raised an eyebrow in response to the pity in her eyes. "I loved him a long time ago. How I feel about him now's about a million miles beyond that, so if you could skip to the part where you tell me how to get him out of this, I'd appreciate it."

She sat straight up in her chair and blinked. It'd probably been a few centuries since someone had shut her down like that and she clearly had no idea what to do about it.

Meanwhile I was silently promising myself that I'd never forget the dumb look on her face.

Eventually she got herself back together. "There's a faction of the Slaughter in Pemberville, so we're sending you there. We would've preferred to send you father, just to make sure you wouldn't run into anyone you know, but if Hephastien found you two before you reached the Slaughter's jurisdiction, he'd kill you on the spot.

Besides, Pemberville is in the country, nothing there but farmland and tractors. Slim chance anyone from Toledo would bother passing through."

"Fine." Lux said. "When do we leave?"

"Tonight. Ary's set up a place for you to stay. All you have to do is make it there, and the Slaughter will come to you.

-Keep your business to yourself. You never know who you _can't_ trust."

"Is that it?"

"Just one more thing." She slid Lux's phone and I-pad across the desk. "Figured it's safe to give these back to you, now that we're all on the same side. The address to your new place is already saved."

He reached for it, but she didn't let go, "Lux, tracking your I-pad so you could find Gabriel was very clever. Make sure to keep being clever, okay? You're going to have to keep your wits about you if you want to survive."

He cocked his head to the side, "You care?" It was more of a taunt than a question.

"Of course. I made you. I know I didn't make it easy for you. But everything I put you through, all the pain, I did it out of necessity. I'd never allow a weak human to become Our Kind. A coward in an immortal body is a dangerous thing." She let go of the phone and sat back in her chair. "But absolutely, I care."

Hearing her talk so casually about making Lux's transition as agonizing as possible turned my blood into acid. "Seems like the only thing you really care about is Aryl's money."

She stood up from her desk. "Money is what keeps this Nunnery a kingdom, and me on the throne. To throw that away would be foolish, and foolish is something that I am not." She nodded towards the door, telling us to leave. "Like I just told you, in Our world only the clever survive."

The same nun from orientation came to escort us from Jules' office. She led us through the hallways, talking in the same brusque tone as the first time I'd met her.

I held onto Lux's hands and tried to concentrate on what she was saying. Every time we turned a corner I expected Aryl to be there, ready to tear us apart for what we were planning to do.

"Bags have been packed for you. You should have enough to get you through your first few days in Pemberville . Everything else you can buy once you get there.

Aryl's set up a bank account for you both in order to help with expenses. With that and the Slaughter's help you should be able to procure anything you need.

You shouldn't have time to need much. The way Hephastien hunts he'll probably find you quickly.

Did Jules give you your phone back?"

"…She did." Lux answered slowly, trying to gauge the importance of his response.

"You're kids. Call your parents tomorrow. If you don't they'll come looking for you and that wouldn't end well. Lying is a sin, but in this case, you should both come up with an alibi and stick with it."

We came up to a set of black glass doors that took up an entire wall. "This takes you to the back parking lot." She pointed. "Your cars were disposed of along with the rest of your things. We don't allow ties to the outside world here." She handed Lux a set of keys. "It's the black sedan in the far left corner. Your luggage is in the trunk."

She stopped talking and put her hands behind her back. Apparently she'd said everything she had to say and now she was just waiting for us to leave.

She didn't have to wait long. Neither one of us wanted another second of that place. We jogged to the car and didn't look back.

"You okay, babe?" Lux asked as we buckled in. He looked out the windows like he was making sure no one was following us. "Everything keeps changing and we haven't even had time to deal with any of it." He reached out and ran his hand through my hair.

"I'm okay," the lie made my voice crack, "You?"

He was quiet for a second and then he laughed nervously as red tears tinged the corners of his eyes, "Actually, I'm scared out of my head." He blinked the tears away. "But I'm gonna get us to Auburn Hills, and I'm gonna keep you safe. –And we're gonna figure out how to get Josi out of that place, no matter what. Jules is a-" he gritted his teeth. "No way we can leave him in there with her, not after he helped us like this."

I nodded, "We'll make everything right, with us and with Josi." I said, because we were too far in to do anything but hope for the impossible now.

"Just two hours north. We can do that."

"Yeah, we're scared but we'll be fine."

All we had to was cross miles and miles of territory where there were no rules. Aryl could catch us. Hephastien could kill us. After everything we'd made it through we could still lose each other in an instant.

"In two-hundred feet, turn left." The GPS reminded us that there was no turning back, no more time to be afraid.

Lux sped up, taking his anxiety out on the engine.

I watched the lights glowing from the stained glass windows disappear in the side mirror, and wondered what awaited us in the Nunnery ahead.


	13. Chapter 13

WRECK

"How's your dinner, babe?"

Lux was sitting behind me in the tub, making my hair into a soapy mohawk while I ate my ramen.

"It's so good." I leaned back into his touch and hugged the bowlful of noodles.

He picked up the washcloth and started to scrub my shoulders, "See? Food and a bath makes everything better."

"You're right." I nodded, "This is the best bath of my life."

"Me too. I just hoped I scrubbed the tub enough. Whatever was in here wasn't regular dirt. I'm pretty sure it was something alive. And evil. So if you feel yourself getting possessed, fight it!"

I tried not to drop my dinner in the water as I laughed, "I will. Swear I will."

We were in so much trouble.

We'd barely been out of Toledo when the highway turned into a sea of brake lights. A flipped semi had brought everyone to a dead stop, and by the time we'd started moving again, it was almost daybreak. All we'd had time to do was get off the road so we could find Lux a place to hide from the sunlight.

We'd ended up stuck in a dingy motel, knowing that as the sun rose, our chances of making it to Auburn Hills were fading.

But sitting in a tub full of bubbles, we could both pretend that we weren't running out of time.

"You all done with dinner?" He asked once the noodles were gone. "Or do you want another one?"

"How many did I have already?"

"Not sure. We cleared out the whole vending machine, and I think you've got one left, so…" he did the calculations in his head, "maybe six?""

"Really? Ugh, who eats six ramens?!" I leaned over the side of the tub and pushed the bowl across the tile floor. "Are you sure you still even love me? I'm so gross!"

Lux laughed, "No you're not!" His voice lowered to a serious octave. "You were sick without blood for years, babe." He turned me around to face him and wrapped his legs around me. "If you're feeling good enough to eat a million ramen, I definitely count that as a win. I'll make you a million more."

I leaned against his chest, "Unlimited ramen?"

"Mmm-hmm. For life." He picked up the washcloth and scrubbed down my back.

"Left arm."

I stuck out my left arm and he scrubbed it.

"Right arm…

right leg…

left leg."

He paused when he got down to my ankle. He stared at the floor and cleared his throat, "When Aryl said you have his fangs," his voice was soft, cautious, "this is where?"

Carefully, he rubbed his thumb against the twin dimples: a mark he'd seen a thousand times but never had a reason to question before.

My heart thumped a little as I answered. "Yeah. Yes… "

He saw my expression and rushed to take the pain away. "It's okay. It doesn't change anything no matter what. I just wondered… why? What does it mean?"

I gulped and looked away, "It was supposed to be a way to show that I belonged to him forever. That's what he said, but it turned out to be a lie.

And I guess he's the only one that can take them out.

I should never have trusted him. I was so stupid."

He pulled me close. "You're supposed to be able to trust people that say they love you. And he might've lied about forever, but I'm not. You're all I want, always."

He lifted my chin, hovering just a moment before he sank into the kiss, and I could feel how much he loved me. Somehow, he saw all the things I hated about myself, the scars of the mistakes I'd made, and still thought I was beautiful.

 _"_ _Please?"_ I needed him so much that I was begging him to bite me. I couldn't take the way his skin steamed against mine, how he held me like I was the only thing that mattered in the whole world.

In a second, his fangs answered my prayers.

"Oh no, the water's getting cold."

"Wanna get out?"

I bit my lip, "Not really."

Lux grinned as he turned on the hot water to warm up the bath, "Me neither."

He dumped the last of the miniature bottles of soap into the tub then pulled me close again.

"One day we're gonna have a house with a big yard and a dog, and we're gonna have one of those giant tubs and take baths like this every day."

"What'll his name be?"

"The dog? I hadn't thought of that yet. But he's gonna be a vampire dog, though, right?"

"Yeah, for sure."

"Then we'd have to give him a badass name, like 'Dracula'. No! 'DOGULA'!"

I laughed so hard I felt like I was hurting myself, "Dogula!?"

"Yup. Me, you, and Dogula: perfect family."

"You're right. Perfect." I leaned back against him, pulling the bubbles up around us in a mound. I loved pretending that our biggest worry was what to name our imaginary vampire dog.

Lux kissed my shoulders, and nuzzled his cheek against mine. "Right now's pretty perfect too. Maybe we should stay in here until the sun goes down – we'd come out super wrinkly, though!"

"You wouldn't, but I would!"

"I can't get wrinkly anymore?" He lifted his hands and examined his smooth fingertips. "That's kinda weird, but at least it isn't as creepy as not needing to breathe anymore."

"That creeps you out?"

"Yeah. I didn't even notice it at first, but when I did it kind of scared me." He swallowed hard, and when he started speaking again I could hear the pain in his voice.

"Part of being changed over is drinking their blood, and the other part is that they have to bleed you until your heart stops. If it works, you're immortal when you wake up. But you kind of already died, so not breathing makes me feel," he paused and I felt him shiver, "like I'm not really alive.

So I try to breathe on purpose, but the second my mind's on something else, I forget to keep it up. Same way with my eyes always glowing. I know I can stop it if I concentrate, but not for very long."

I wanted to panic. Two nights ago, I'd been crying myself to sleep, feeling sorry for myself. Two nights ago, Lux was somewhere in the Nunnery, being bled until he died. I'd been so close to him the whole time it was happening, but he'd gone through it alone. It hurt so bad I could barely take it.

I focused on keeping my heart steady. Until now, Lux hadn't talked about anything but keeping me safe. If he could finally tell me the truth about what had happened and how he felt, I didn't want him to think I couldn't handle it.

"No matter what, I've gotta keep practicing. If I can look normal I could at least Skype, or Facetime with everybody back home. It would be cool to actually see my friends, so they'd know I'm really okay. And it would be nice to be able look my dad in the eye when I tell him I'm sorry for leaving the way I did."

He stared down at the water. "If I can't get control enough to pass for human, how am I ever going to see them again?"

I turned around to face him and stared up into his eyes, "We'll practice together. Everyday you and me. And you'll get it, because you're the strongest person I've ever met. Nobody else could have done what you did. You're strong enough for this. Okay? I'm not gonna let you lose everybody. I love you."

The fear that had constricted his features ebbed away. He put his hand against my chest as his whole body relaxed.

"Your heart; every time you tell me you love me, it beats so fast." He pulled a handful of bubbles up to my neck and traced their path down my back. "No matter how scary things get, no matter how things turn out, if you can love me this hard, I'll be okay."

I didn't have the words to tell him how much I felt the same, but it didn't matter. He could hear it in my heartbeat that I'd love him until the end of time.


	14. Chapter 14

DEATH

I woke up to Lux sitting down on the foot of the bed.

I couldn't remember exactly how we'd made it from the bathtub to the bedroom, but I could definitely remember how amazing he'd felt. Tucked under the covers, I was still warm and tipsy from his blood.

"Love you so… much," I yawned.

 _"_ _Do you?"_

The words burned away the daydream. My eyes snapped open. Acid rose in my stomach and caught in the back of my throat.

It wasn't Lux at the end of the bed, it was Aryl.

Aryl, _covered in blood_.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess," he cocked his head to the side.

Even as I struggled to push myself upright, I felt like I was losing consciousness. I was too overwhelmed to think or breathe.

"I was planning on it being clean, but Lux insisted on a fight. I think he really believed he could save you." He blinked. "He couldn't."

I dry-heaved as a tsunami crashed through me: the pain of knowing Lux was dead. It crushed any questions of how or when, disintegrated the 'whys', it obliterated my heart.

"I suppose that's your fault. You've known me for so long. Did you really think you could run and I wouldn't find a way to stop you? I've told you so many times: you're mine."

"No." A thousand memories of being with Lux flickered through my mind: a thousand moments worth living and dying for. "You're lying and you know it. I'm his. No matter what you've done, you can't change that."

Aryl laughed, making sure to show his fangs, "After all the nights you prayed for me to come back home to you, who'd have thought that now you'd sit there, defiant?" The glow in his eyes burned its way from crimson to soot. "How deep down will I have to dig before you remember that I _own_ you? How deep until you remember that my blood used to make you beg?"

" _Used to_ ," I hissed, "But I'll never beg you for anything ever again. So if you came to end it, _end it._ I don't care anymore."

The moment the dare left my lips he wrapped his hand around my throat.

I gritted my teeth. I couldn't breathe. I didn't fight. Lux was dead. Nothing mattered anymore.

"…Such a waste," he said softly, dragging me across the bed so that I had to crawl on my hands and knees.

"I gave you one last chance and you _wasted_ it."

A cruel smile parted his lips as he tightened his hand around my throat, "My broken toy with perfect blood, _now you get to watch me tear your whole heart into pieces_."

I closed my eyes, waiting for Aryl to make his move.

Instead there was a sound that I'd only ever heard in the movies, like a truck driving through a building. The room shattered around us, and Aryl disappeared. When my eyes found him again, he was slammed halfway through the wall.

Lux was on top of him, snarling as he held Aryl in place.

"Lux!" I screamed his name, shredded between the joy of seeing him alive and the horror of knowing that Aryl had every intention of destroying him.

"STAY DOWN." He roared.

Aryl let out a low chuckle. His face was torn, his bones were shattered, but he laughed like he'd been laughing all along.

And then he exploded out from the wall. The result was like a grenade, sending Lux crashing across the room. .

Aryl shrugged his bones back into place as he spit a broken fang onto the floor. There was already another growing into its place. "I could've bled your boyfriend dry by now." He said as his body rearranged itself into its original, perfect form. "What happened? Did you have to convince yourself not to run?"

Lux pulled himself from the wreckage. It was his body's turn to put itself back together. He cringed a as it happened, but kept moving towards Aryl. "I don't run," he sneered, "I'm not afraid of you."

"So much arrogance! So much bravado!"

"You shouldn't have come here," Lux's eyes were like fire.

Aryl smiled, "You're going to die."

When they collided it shook the room.

The aftermath was limbs twisted out of place and ragged skin. Before their bodies even began to heal they were back to ripping each other apart. They were just a blur to me, moving too fast for my human eyes. Until there was a sound like a sonic boom that made my ears ring and my head spin.

When I opened my eyes, Aryl was staring down into a hole that swallowed him up to his knees. At first I didn't understand where Lux had gone, until I saw his hand sticking up from the crater; broken and still.

I don't know if that's when I'd started screaming or if I'd been screaming all along, but I couldn't stop. "Lux, get up! Please! Get up!"

Aryl turned to look at me, his eyebrows furrowed, "Stop it."

I crawled across the ground to the broken floorboards. I pulled myself to the edge of the hole and reached for Lux's hand. I didn't want to look in. I was too afraid to look in.

Aryl stood in place, staring down at me as his bones found their way back together and his skin grew back across his face. "He's not dead. Yet. I'm having too much fun to kill him now."

-We burst through the ceiling. One second I was on the floor and then wood was shattering all around us, and Aryl was holding onto me and we were on the roof of the motel.

A microsecond later, wood shattered again, spraying into the cold night and it was Lux, still battered and broken, and growling like an animal.

The next thing I knew, all I could feel was a jet stream of cold air tearing over my body as I heard sirens in the distance. It was excruciating. I closed my eyes and tucked my head into my chest as Aryl's grip tightened around me. It felt like my skin was coming off and I wondered if it actually was. He was running so fast that no bystander would've been able to determine exactly what we were.

Every bone in my body cracked as we snapped to a stop. I opened my eyes and looked for Lux. He streaked past us and came to a standstill about 100 feet ahead. He glowed in the moonlight.

"Put him down!" He screamed.

"Sure." Aryl dropped me and I hit the ground hard.

"Gabriel!"

"Worry about yourself." Aryl stepped over me as I struggled to my knees. "You're not even healing quickly any more. This is taking such a toll on you but you just won't stop fighting. All because of _this_ ," he kicked back and struck me with the heel of his boot. It knocked me down to the ground again, and made whatever was broken inside of me ache.

"If you want me to stop fighting, _you'll have to kill me_." Lux bared his fangs.

"I already had the chance to kill you." Aryl grinned as his eyes lit up, "Twice. You were just too distracted by this human to notice." He pivoted, scooped his arms underneath me and flung me in Lux's direction. "You want him so bad, take him. I'm done using him anyway."

I had to fight down the urge to vomit as my limp body sped through the air. Lux stopped my flight, tried to catch me as gently as he could, and held me tightly against his chest.

"Babe," he breathed as he backed away from Aryl. I could tell that he was desperate to heal me, but there wasn't time. "You're gonna be fine, just try not to move, okay? I'm gonna protect you."

The broken thing inside of me was burning, but I didn't care. I hadn't been sure if I'd make it into his arms again before we died. It seemed like a gift.

I tried to look up at him. I wanted to see his face so badly, but one of my eyes was swollen shut. At least I hoped that was the reason I couldn't see out of it anymore.

"…love… you…" was all I could manage to gasp. It was all I wanted to tell him.

"I love you too." His eyes grazed over my injuries. He looked sick to his stomach. "I love you so much."

" _Concentrate_! I'm supposed to be killing you, remember?" Aryl's laugh echoed through the air as he disappeared.

I squinted my one working eye as Lux turned in a circle, both of us trying to find him before he made his move. We were in the middle of an open clearing, surrounded by a thick circle of pines. They were so close together that they blocked the view of what was beyond them.

We stopped turning and I tried to make out Aryl's figure. I could just barely see him beyond the tree line about thirty feet away. He had what looked like half of a tree trunk in each hand, like he'd ripped down a sapling and torn it in two.

"I'm bored now. So let's try this another way." He launched one of the jagged beams in our direction. It landed a few yards to the right. "Now Lux, you like sports, right? So how are you at 'catch'?" He examined the weapon in his hand. "What about dodge ball? _Or hockey!_ Ever been a goalie?" He launched the other half of the beam and it landed closer this time, but still not close enough to make Lux flinch. He reached out and grabbed hold of another sapling, tearing it easily from the ground. He snapped it over his knee.

Lux sat me down and took a defensive stance, trying to prepare for what Aryl was about to do, "You lie flat and stay behind me," he commanded in a voice that left no room for argument.

"Now I know our pretty Gabriel isn't very good at sports, so I bet if you let one of these get by you, well… he'd just be skewered straight through. You see where I'm going with this?" He darted to another point on the tree line and flung one of the spikes. It made a humming sound as it sailed towards us and this time Lux's hand snapped up to catch hold of it just inches away from his face.

Aryl's voice was so happy, "There! Now you've got the hang of it." He darted to the side and threw the other half of the tree trunk, ripped another one out of the ground in lightening speed and launched again. Lux caught them easily while managing to circle as Aryl did, keeping me shielded with his body.

"Good!" Aryl cheered, and began to move faster. There was a loud zipping sound as he launched two spears at once. And just as soon as Lux caught them, there were two more on the way. This time one slipped through his hand and he threw himself to the side in order to block it from hitting me. He let out a low grunt as it pierced his abdomen.

"No!" I screamed, but Lux didn't say a word. He pulled the spear from his side with his right hand and caught the next one with his left.

He roared as he threw it back at Aryl, but Aryl stepped easily to the side and the branch struck one of the trees with a sound like the crack of a baseball bat.

Aryl ran his hand along the spear that was now lodged in the pine just beside his head, "Oooo, close," he faked a shiver and then he was gone, just a blur circling the periphery of the clearing. Lux crouched over me, trying to get ready for the next attack. It was impossible, Aryl was moving too fast. The next two lances rushed straight towards me and there was no way to catch them. Lux tried but they tore through his hands and punctured the ground just centimeters behind us. He howled and drew his bloodied fists to his chest, grinding his teeth as his body worked to heal them.

"Stop! Stop!" I screamed. I tried to crawl out from beneath Lux's stance above me. He put his foot on my back and pushed me to the ground, "Stay put! Don't you dare move."

"Let me up," I tried to fight even though I knew it was absolutely useless, "Just give me to him. I can't let you do this!"

Aryl cackled, "Too late for that! This is the game. There's no quitting now," he sped around the clearing, tearing trees up by the roots and sending them sailing towards us. Lux, with this half-healed hands swung violently, shattering them with his forearms and fists. But the barrage was so heavy. He was being beaten down. Even the ones he managed to intercept were wounding him. I heard his bones cracking with each and every hit as the trees shattered around us.

"Please," I shrieked, "Please, Aryl. Just take me. Leave him and take me!"

"We had a deal. You were the ones who broke it!"

He launched another volley of spears. They were moving so fast they were almost invisible, but the sound of them whistling through the air gave away their approach.

Lux, still bloodied and broken, was far too weak to defend us any longer. He threw himself on top of me and curled me in his arms, shielding me from the onslaught with his body.

"- _Babe_ ," he whispered and then I felt him jerking against the impacts and I howled.


	15. Chapter 15A

I couldn't stop screaming his name. I fought to turn over so that I could see him. But I was trapped beneath him with my face pressed into the wet dirt. The weight of his limp body was pinning me down, and he was heavy and I wasn't strong enough.

Suddenly, Aryl dragged me out from underneath him and dropped me on the ground. The second I saw what had happened I almost threw up. The spikes had all found their marks and there was so much blood.

"God, what a mess. What a horrible, horrible mess." Aryl shook his head as he loomed over Lux's body. "Do you think you were worth it, Gabriel? Or do you think your boyfriend wasted his life by trying to take what belongs to me?"

"Didn't f-fight-" the sound of Lux's ragged stuttering shocked me. I'd been sure he was already dead. I made it to his side and pressed myself against him.

Only his lips moved. He didn't even have the strength to lift his head, "D-didn't fight to take from you…fought 'cause I b-belong to him… From the beginning, I was y-yours, Gabriel. _I'm…yours_."

I wiped the blood from his cheeks and mouth as tears came to my eyes, "Don't worry. It's gonna be okay," I pressed my wrist against his fangs, "You need blood and then you'll be better. You'll be fine."

He kissed my hand and closed his eyes. But he wouldn't drink. He shivered like he was working hard to resist the temptation. He was practically convulsing with the effort.

"I'll take too much. Can't hurt you."

"Shhh, no. Don't talk," I begged. I was losing him so fast, "Just drink. You have to. There's no time."

His eyelids fluttered, and then he looked up at me. He could barely focus and his eyes kept drifting away from mine. But for a second, he held the stare and smiled softly. It was a weak, crooked smile that caused more pain in me than anything else.

"So glad I didn't… run," he gurgled, before exhaling one last long breath, and going still.

Everything in me shattered. I lost it. I raked my wrist against his fangs to make the cut myself. It was too late, but I couldn't stop. I couldn't accept the fact that he was gone.

 _"_ _We're gonna be together forever, remember? Remember?_ Just you and me."

Aryl chuckled, "Oh, that's pathetic."

It was pathetic. But I kept struggling until I managed to make the cut.

My blood touched his lips.

Nothing happened.

Still, I lied right next to him on the ground and held my wrist against his mouth.

"I'm not gonna leave you," I whispered, "I'm gonna stay right here, okay? I'm not leaving. I promise."

I meant it. I was literally planning on lying right there for the rest of my life. I would've rather lied next to him in the dirt until the end of time than to spend a second away from him.

"I want you to understand that you deserve this, Gabriel," Aryl took a step closer, "What you did was unforgivable, and this is the only punishment that fits. I'll find a way to hurt you _so much worse if you ever disobey me again."_

"You can't," I murmured, "You can't."

"-Aryl, that's enough," a familiar voice interrupted. It was Jules.

I didn't know why she was there and I didn't care. I didn't even look at her. I just wanted them both to go away so I could concentrate on Lux.

"This is enough to convince you," she said to Aryl as she knelt down behind me. "It's over, Gabriel. Now let go so I can help you."

"No!" I clenched my arms around Lux and held on tight. I didn't know what she was up to, but I didn't trust her anymore than I trusted Aryl, "Don't touch him!"

"I know you're scared. But I can't heal him with you in the way."

My heart skipped a beat. If she could save Lux it would be a miracle. But then I realized that it could be another one of their tricks.

" _You're lying,_ " I hissed, "You always lie! I gave him blood already."

" _Your_ blood. Mine is stronger."

I glared at her.

"The only way you'll know that I'm telling you the truth is if you move," she said, "So move."

I looked at Lux, and then her. I didn't know what to do.

"Look at him" she said, "At this point you don't have anything left to lose."

As I looked at Lux's lifeless body, I realized that she was right. I took a deep breath and forced myself to let go. I didn't believe in her, but I wanted to so badly.

"Don't hurt him," I demanded.

Without a word, she put her foot in the center of Lux's back to hold him down while she yanked the spears out of him. It was horrific, but she did it like it was the most casual thing in the world.

Then she slid her arms beneath him and lifted him up. She bit into her tongue with her fangs. Her mouth filled with blood, forming a red line between her closed lips. And then she kissed him.

A wave of anger washed over me, but I managed to hold it in.

Aryl stood silently just behind us, watching with an expression of mild interest, "That's so gross. You could just let him heal on his own."

Jules shrugged, "Would've taken too long."

"Healed?!" I shrieked, "HEALED?!"

" _Im-mor-tal?_ " Aryl said, "I'd have to do worse than this to _kill_ one of Our Kind."

"But-But-" I stuttered.

"I know, I know, you thought he was dead." Aryl rolled his eyes.

I felt stupid. But Lux had looked so mangled. Surely one of the spikes had hit his heart. I'd thought that was fatal for certain.

Jules let Lux's body drop back to the ground.

Slowly, the wounds began to heal. It was grotesque; the way the bone and skin grew and slithered back into place, pushing the last of the wooden shards from his body.

But even when he looked like he was back in one piece, he still didn't move. I held my breath and waited.

"Ga-br-iel," he gasped. It was the sound a demon makes in a horror movie. But it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard.

"There," Jules said calmly.

I threw myself on top of him. I dug my arms beneath him so that I could hold him. I wrapped my legs around him. He stared up at me for a while in silence. Then he kissed me.

It was the kind of kiss that was a confession. It was soft and innocent; a whisper. But it said everything. I felt how much he loved me in that kiss, and that fear and pain, or even death couldn't change that.

I was grateful for it. I wanted him to kiss me like that forever: Every day for the rest of my life.

He wrapped me in his arms while his blood healed all the broken things inside of me, including my heart.

"Alright. _Enough_."

Lux startled at the sound of Aryl's voice. He leapt to his feet and swung me behind him, growling, fangs bared.

"Relax, Sleeping Beauty. Fight's over," Aryl put his hand in his pockets.

"Fight's over," Jules reassured, "Now, easy."

I hugged him from behind, "She brought you back. You were... hurt." Lux's body heaved. He was breathing hard, not because he needed to breathe, but because he was so angry. He didn't know what to make of the situation. Neither did I.

"Look," Jules coaxed, "I understand that you're scared, but we just want to talk to you."

Lux snarled, backing away. His body tensed, poised to make an escape.

"Please don't do that," Jules begged, "I'm very glad Aryl didn't kill you. Don't do anything to change that now. Please, for the love of God, don't piss him off more."

"Then say what you have to say and get it over with!"

"If that's what you'd prefer we'd be glad to. But this might take a while, and Gabriel looks very cold."

She was right. My sweatshirt and jeans were caked with cold, wet mud from the November rains. I was freezing.

"Come to the church. I'm sure I can find something for Gabriel to wear so he can get warm."

Lux laughed, "And what's waiting for us there? More vampires trying to kill us?"

Aryl had been silent for a while. He'd barely looked like he was paying attention. But now he let out an exasperated sigh, "I was doing a great job of killing you all by myself. I don't need help from 'other vampires'."

"Aryl-" Jules interjected.

"I'm tired of this," he waved a hand in the air to dismiss her, "Come back to the church. Now. Or I'll make you."

Lux let out a sound that was clearly a threat.

"No! No," I threw myself in front of him like I had the strength to hold him back, "Please," I begged, "let's just go with them. We don't have a choice. Aryl's right. If he'd wanted to kill us, he would've done it already."

Lux's muscled chest heaved beneath my palms. He stared down at me, anger igniting in his jade eyes. After a long while he dropped his shoulders and abandoned his fighting stance, "If that's what you want."

"It is," I was so relieved. I'd already lost him once. I'd try anything to prevent another war.

"Good," Jules said calmly, "You can follow me."

She and Aryl disappeared into the woods, running so fast they were invisible to my eyes. Lux swept me into his arms, pulling me close, and broke into a speed that matched theirs. The cold was horrible. I tucked my head down and waited for it to be over.

When we came to a stop, I heard music playing in the background and the dull roar of a furnace. Lux set me down and I opened my eyes. We were in a living room. I couldn't believe that we were already inside.

"Here," Jules said, "You can wear these. We'll give you a moment to change."

I took the clothes from her, and she and Aryl left the room. I was still taken aback by how fast everything had happened. Even after living with Aryl for decades, I'd never gotten completely used to what vampires were capable of.

But getting dressed wasn't even close to the thing I wanted most. I touched Lux's face, taking advantage of the few seconds we had alone together. I ran my hands over his chest. He was practically shirtless. What was left of his clothes was just rags because of Aryl's assault. There was still blood on him, and I couldn't tell if he was still bleeding. Anxiously, I checked him for injuries, still doubting that he could really be okay.

He caught my hands and held them against his lips, then pulled me onto his lap. "I just wanna hold you forever." He whispered. The heat of his body radiated through me.

I saw his fangs peek over his lip. I wished we were alone together, instead of back in the Nunnery where all of our problems began.

It felt so wrong, meeting with the two vampires we absolutely couldn't trust, but at least Aryl wasn't trying to kill us- for now.

"Are you decent?" Jules and Aryl entered the room without waiting for a response.

"Sorry for the mess. I manage to keep the rest of the Nunnery running like clockwork, but my living quarters are always a disaster-"

Lux cut her short, "Just tell us what's going on."

Aryl hissed as he glared at me. "I know the scent of your blood by heart. I could track you, find you anywhere. Before you'd made it five miles north, I knew you were running away."

He rubbed at his temples. "I wanted to kill you, but Jules said I should use it as chance to test you instead." He cut his eyes towards Lux. "I didn't agree with her at first. She's got a soft spot for you that really gets on my nerves."

Jules shrugged off Aryl's statement.

"-But after I thought about it, I knew was she was right." Aryl continued. "When you and I fight Hephastien together you're going to have to be brave enough to kill for Gabriel, or brave enough to die for him. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't fall apart when things got… bloody. The only way I could do that was to fight you myself."

All the sudden his eyes lit up and he sounded so happy. "I have to say, it was so much more satisfying than I'd expected! I didn't even start out with a plan, really. I mean, I knew I had to stop you from running, so I flipped the semi. From there it was all just improvised and it worked out so well!" He sighed happily as he shook his head. "What a way to make a point."

Lux seethed, " _You? You flipped the semi?!_ You would rather kill people who have _nothing_ to do with this than fight Hephastien on your own?" He growled through gritted teeth, "You might be stronger than me, but out of the two of us, you're the coward!"

I held my breath, and tried to look as tough as Lux did.

"-Watch. It." Aryl bit down on the words with his fangs.

Lux laughed, " _Or what?_ You'll kill me? You can't! Because then you'd have to fight alone and you _can't_. So let me say it again just to be clear: Gabriel and I aren't here right now because you beat me. The only reason we're here is because you're a _coward_."

My heart barely had time to panic before Aryl had closed the distance between us. He stood nose to nose with Lux, smirking. "The only reason you're here is because you're naïve. You were arrogant enough, and stupid enough to believe you could take something from me; something I've owned for more years than you've even been _alive_.

Tonight I proved that Gabriel will always belong to me. I proved that I can take him from you any time I please. So you can call me all the names you like, but your only option is to go to Pemberville, go through with the plan, and hope you survive.

Otherwise, I'll do worse than kill you." He cocked his head towards me. "I'll take away your whole reason for staying alive."

"-I know we were together for thirty years but did you always talk this much?"

A snort escaped from Jules before she clamped her hands over her mouth to stop from laughing.

Aryl's face dropped into a frown.

"I can't remember." I shrugged, "Anyway, it's reaaaaallly irritating, so we're gonna go." I took Lux's hand and leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Come on. He's just talking a lot now and I'm hungry. I'd rather go to Pemberville than listen to this."

The cold stare Lux had focused on Aryl melted into sweetness as he kissed me back, "Yeah, me too."

"Can have ramen in the bathtub again?"

His eyes sparkled at me like we were the only two people in the room, "You can have anything you want. Ready?"

"So ready."

He squeezed my hand and led me towards the door.

Aryl's eyes flashed to a darker color as we passed him by. He looked like he was vibrating between anger and complete confusion. His jaw tensed, and he flinched a little, but he didn't say a word. It was the first time I'd ever ignored him. All he could do was stand there and short-circuit.

It was awesome.

Then Jules spoke up and spoiled our exit before we made it outside, "Lux, when you get there, learn everything you can about using your abilities. I do want you to survive. We are family, after all."

"Jules," Lux shook his head, "I hope with all my heart, that I never, ever see you again."

Neither one of us looked back as he slammed the door behind us.


	16. Chapter 15

PEMBERVILLE

I rolled over and reached for Lux, but he wasn't next to me anymore. I sat up and saw him writing at the desk across the bedroom.

"Happy New Year's babe." He said. "I'm just emailing my dad back and then we can get ready for the party."

"Oh really? How is he?" I was hoping that everything was okay. Things had been so tense between them sense we'd left.

"He's alright. He still doesn't say much, but after the way I left things, I'll take what I can get. It's gonna take a while for me to make it up to him, though."

"It's gonna take a while to make it up to everybody."

I frowned as I thought of the lies we'd told to the people we cared about, our 'alibi', as the nun had put it.

Right now, everyone back home thought we were spending the year traveling, and because of the blowup at the campsite no one blamed us for it.

But there was no way around the fact that we'd disappeared without even saying 'goodbye'. They missed us, and worried about us, never knowing that we were breaking their hearts from only a city away. We both felt guilty about it every single day.

The only silver lining was that we did have one friend we'd left behind that we had been able to help. The Slaughter had helped us put the screws to Jules and make her give Josi his freedom.

He could come and go as he wanted, which felt like a miracle, but there was still a downside: Jules forbade him from saying a word to us until our fight with Hephastien was over.

She'd insisted it was 'For his safety', and I agreed with that part, but I would've given anything to see him again.

Sometimes, on darker days, I wondered if she'd really let him go, or if we'd find out that this was one more of her tricks.

There was nothing to do but wonder and wait.

"-It's funny though, 'cause I've been trying to get my dad to text and he's not down for it. Email only. But the Bannocks are like, thirty years older than him, and they text all day! When Shannon taught them how to Facetime they went NUTS with it!" He laughed. "Oh well. Like I said, I'll take what I can get." He shook his head as he pressed 'send'. "That's my dad, right?"

The happy lilt in his voice shook me out of my thoughts and I came to my senses. Lux had been forced to give up so much; his senior year of high school, graduating with his best friends. Today, hearing from his dad had etched away at some of the stress and he deserved it. I could worry about everything else another time.

I got out of bed and climbed onto his lap, hugging him tight, "Maybe we could send him a present or something. Does he like cheese? I saw a giant cheese thing at Costco and it looked so good! It was like, a million little cheeses!"

Lux held me tighter as he laughed. "No offense, but the only time I can tell you're not really seventeen is when you go to Costco. You're like an old man in that place!"

I blushed, "Everybody loves Costco."

"Whatever you say, old-timer."

I blushed and made a face, "Well I might be old, but I'm yours now so you're gonna have to love me through my Costco addiction."

He crossed the room swiftly with me in his arms and laid me back down on the bed. Next thing I knew, he had me beneath him, kissing me softly as lightning bolts jolted down my spine.

 _"_ _I'm gonna love you for the rest of my life."_

I fumbled with my bowtie as we hurried to get ready. We'd stayed in bed a little too long and now we had to rush to make it on time. "This is gonna be the best New Years!" I said, still fighting to even out the knot.

"The biggest party of the year and it's being hosted by the city Slaughter." Lux shook his head in amazement as he fought with his own tie. "Never thought that would happen."

"I know, right? When Marcy told me she and Frank were Queen and King of the parade, I was like, 'what!' They get to ride on a float and everything."

"John said they've been King and Queen for the last two years! I guess the town votes on who they think the cutest couple is and it's always them."

"Cutest couple? That's us! Next year _we're_ _taking that parade_."

"Yeah," his smile softened as he touched my face, "Next year."

I closed my eyes and rubbed my cheek against his hand, wishing I hadn't said those words. We always tried to stay away from 'next year', 'next month', or 'next week'. For our first few days in Pemberton, we'd barely uttered the word 'tomorrow'.

It just reminded us of all the time we might not have, and we couldn't live like that. The only way to make it through was to max every 'today', and not count on the future.

Still, every once in a while one of us would slip and it would feel like ice water flooding the room.

I shivered.

"You know what," Lux kissed my forehead, "we've been here a whole month and Hephastien still hasn't shown up.

And every Midnight Practice, I'm fighting better with the Slaughter. I can't beat John yet, but I'm gaining on him, and I'm already stronger than Frank and Earl.

So if Hephastien comes, at least now we've got a chance." He wrapped his arms around me. "And that's so much more than we've ever had before.

Plus, it's our first New Year's together, and… I remember so many times when it felt like we'd never make it this far."

He lifted my chin so he could look me in the eye. "So no matter what happens next, tonight I'll get to kiss you under the fireworks at midnight. And that sounds amazing."

He was right. We had so much more than we did a month ago.

I nodded, _"I can't wait_."

THE SLAUGHTER

"I'm literally inhaling confetti right now," Marcy rubbed at her nose, "and I love it!" She threw her arms up in the air, waving her hands through the blizzard of tickertape.

"It's all the way down to my boxers." Frank scratched his butt. "But it's totally worth it! This is gonna be the best parade!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR'S, EVERYBODY!" They shouted to the crowd as the float bolted down the street.

"Why is this thing going so fast!" I laughed as I held onto Lux so I wouldn't fly off and die.

The float was rickety, just plywood and chicken wire, covered with a papier-mâché version of a 'winter wonderland'. The lopsided snowmen jostled up and down as we kept picking up speed. Their stick arms couldn't hold onto anybody. I figured they were goners for sure.

"This is way more exciting than going slow!" Earl yelled over the noise of people cheering as we whizzed by.

"Yeah!" John flashed a smile. "Just wait'll we hit the potholes!"

"Wait, what?" I asked, but it was too late. The whole cart bucked beneath us, throwing up snow as we bounced over the craters in the road.

The crowd cheered louder.

"See? Told you it was fun!" John held onto the float with one muscled arm, and waved at the crowd with the other. The girls went nuts.

In the small town of Pemberville, looking just like Superman was more than enough to make John a full-fledged celebrity.

"You're right. It's awesome!" I tried to catch my breath as we hurtled down the cobblestone street, past the sea of glowsticks and glitter that the city had brought to celebrate.

Marcy turned around, holding onto her tiara to keep the wind from catching it. "Oh, it's gonna get even better, 'cause we're hi-jacking this rig!"

"What?" I asked, getting a mouthful of confetti, "Where are we going?"

She winked, "It's a surprise!"

"But you and Frank have to do the countdown thing at midnight, right?"

"We'll make it back in time." Frank nodded. "Just hang on and enjoy the ride.

Gun it, Wally!"

Wally Hammer from the Dairy Mart was pulling us with his dad's tractor. He stuck his hand in the air and gave us a thumbs up, "You got it, boss!" He mashed the gas, kicking up another burst of snow.

The float creaked as we took off. It definitely sounded like it was about to fall apart, but I was having too much of a good time to care.

Being with the Slaughter was always a good time. Frank, Earl, and John were nothing like the vampires that Lux and I had met before. Instead of being bloodthirsty psychopaths, they were actually super nice.

Since the beginning they'd helped us fit in around town, and helped Lux work on his fighting skills during the Midnight Practices.

We hadn't told them much about what we were facing, but they did know we'd come to Pemberville because we were in trouble. The fact that they wanted to help made us feel like we'd found a family.

Plus, there was Frank's girlfriend, Marcy. She was human too, so we'd been close since day one. She _was_ crazy, but in the best way possible.

Whenever we were all together, we ended up doing something kind of stupid and really fun.

"Hold on!" Wally yelled as we slid around the corner and jolted over the train tracks.

"Good drivin', Wally!" Marcy jumped up and down. By now, her puff of jet black hair was sprinkled with confetti. Between that and her tiara, she looked like a princess from a Disney movie.

"We're here!" Frank said. He definitely didn't look like a prince charming. He and Earl were twin juggernauts that stomped around in Carhartt's and steel toe boots.

"Best place in town." Earl nodded towards the building that loomed over us.

We were at the old Elevator Association building; a warehouse with a silo jutting up from the roof. It'd been abandoned for years, so now it was just a landmark.

Silently I wondered why we'd stopped there, but not for long.

"Yup." John clapped Lux on the back. "Now get off the damn float, you two!" He laughed. "The rest of us got a parade we gotta get to."

"Wait, you guys aren't coming?" I asked.

Lux hopped down off the float, "Ready to see what your surprise is, babe?"

Our friends were all smiling like idiots. Whatever Lux had planned, they were all in on it together.

"It's a really good surprise," Marcy whispered dramatically.

"Whelp," I threw them a salute as I fell backwards off the float and into Lux's arms. "See ya next year!"

Frank tossed Lux a backpack, "Good luck, buddy." He winked. "Gun it, Wally!"

Wally made a U-turn and took off back down the road with our friends yelling, 'HAPPY NEW YEAR' at the top of their lungs.

I laughed as they disappeared into the night. "Okay, what's going on?"

Lux nodded towards the silo. He looked so excited. "All we have to do is go up to the top and we can watch the fireworks from there."

"That's gonna be so cool!" I said, pretending that the climb up the forty foot ladder didn't totally scare the crap out of me.

Lux smiled, "Let's go."

The ground sank beneath us so fast that it felt like we were flying.

Suddenly we were staring down at the city below. My brain went numb a little as I tried to comprehend how we were already at the top.

"You okay?" he put his arms around me like he was trying to keep me from falling over.

"Did you just- Did we?"

"I've been working on doing that jump for a while. I figured it would be way more romantic than making you scale a building in the middle of the night."

I shook my head, "You're amazing."

He grinned proudly, "Hold on, there's more!"

He moved a few feet away, towards a clunky piece of equipment that I didn't recognize until he turned it on and it started whirring.

The generator kicked into high gear and warm air gusted out of a big heater near by. Christmas lights flickered on, casting a faint glow over the rooftop.

In the center of it all was a place for us to sit, with big pillows and a ton of fuzzy blankets.

"How did you get all this up here!" I couldn't believe it.

"The guys helped. You like it?"

 _"_ _I love it."_

He saw the excitement on my face and his eyes lit up just as the first fireworks boomed into the sky.

He wrapped his hand around mine, and we sat down together to watch.

"Here." He pulled a thermos out of the backpack. "I brought you hot chocolate." He handed me the cocoa then pulled the blankets up around us.

"This is perfect." I said as I curled up against him.

" _You're_ perfect." He leaned in to kiss me. "Happy New Year, babe."

The thunderstorm of lights rained over us and I felt my heart beat faster. For that moment, no one else existed. It felt like the whole world was sparkling just for us.

Finally, the last embers turned to smoke in the sky. I put my head on his shoulder. "This is the best day."

"You know what? Since I met you, every day's been the best day, no matter what we've been through, or what we thought was coming next." He swallowed hard. "So… I know that giving you my fangs, or asking you to marry me, it's all supposed to be about 'forever'. But whether we have forever or not, I'm gonna love you to eternity and back, every single day, every single second."

I replayed the words in my head, trying to figure out how I'd misunderstood him. It was everything I'd ever wanted, but it felt too unreal.

"What I meant to say is… " He reached into his jacket pocket and carefully held out a ring. I stopped breathing as it glowed in the moonlight. His fangs; two ivory crescents, were held in a circle with gold.

"Gabriel, will you-" he trembled as he lost his breath. What he couldn't say was spelled out by the need in his eyes.

No matter how many times we'd talked about 'forever', I never thought it would really happen. I tipped sideways and he had to catch me. I was so overwhelmed that the entire world was spinning. "I'm sorry," I said, "I'm sorry, Lux."

He grimaced like his heart was breaking. "It's okay." His voice caught in his throat. "I know it's a lot. If you're not ready, it's okay."

I panicked, "No- I meant 'yes'! Always, always, ' _yes_ '."

His eyes glowed in the dark as his fangs peeked over his bottom lip. He slid the ring onto my finger, staring at me like I was a miracle. "Say it again?" he whispered.

" _Yes, yes, yes."_

He kissed me and it healed all the places that hurt. All the fear and all the worry faded away.

"As long as we have each other, nothing can ever really hurt us." He ran his fingertips through my hair. "And I wanna spend every day proving that to you, because you're the one who proved it me."

My heart melted as I remembered what he'd told me the first night we'd met.

I nodded as I touched his face. _"We'll prove it to each other."_


	17. Chapter 16

TOGETHER

Slowly, Lux moved from left to right, making a soft sound as he nestled against me. It felt so good. He had his arms around me, with his leg crossed over my waist and I was hyper aware of every place our bodies touched. I wished we could stay there forever.

"Are you sure you're okay," he ran his hands up and down the length of my body, checking to make sure I wasn't injured.

I blushed, feeling embarrassed by the words it would've taken to tell him how amazing the night had been.

"More than okay. Way more. I love you so much."

His eyes sparkled. "Good," he whispered, "Then maybe you'll forgive me for thinking it was a good idea to propose to you within a hundred miles of our friends."

"Hey! Are ya'll naked?" I heard Earl's voice from somewhere on the ladder down below. Apparently, Lux had heard the Slaughter approaching way before I could.

"Would that stop you from coming all the way up here?" Lux asked wryly.

"Absolutely not. Just figured we'd give ya fair warning."

"Gee, thanks." I smiled as I rolled my eyes.

"They said come on up, everybody!" Earl yelled.

"We didn't say that!" Lux and I laughed.

It didn't matter. We barely had our clothes on before the whole Slaughter was on the rooftop. They were talking all at once.

"YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED!"

"This is gonna be the best wedding!"

"I'm completely comfortable with being your best man."

"I'm freaking out!" Marcy jumped up and down as she looked around. "Ooo, this looks romantic."

"It was, until you guys showed up!" I frowned.

"Well we weren't plannin' on botherin' ya but everything kinda went haywire after the parade."

"Yeah, we uh… kinda convinced Wally to try to jump the ditch on his dad's farm, but he bailed at the last minute and hit Ms. Hebry's fence with the tractor."

John nodded, "And now her goats are loose."

"Then Bebe Lummus tried to catch 'em but she must've been drunk 'cause she caught a raccoon."

"-And that raccoon was _pissed_."

"So now the raccoon's on the loose at Bebe's and the goats are on the loose all over and we kiiiiiinda need your help."

"With the goats or the raccoon?" Lux laughed.

"With Bebe. She's on the loose too."

Lux made a face, "She's like ninety-eight! How can she be 'on the loose'?"

"That old broad is wily. But she thinks Gabe is cute so you can probably convince her to go back home. She told the rest of us to go back to where the sun don't shine."

"I'm kind of in the middle of having the best night of my life." Lux held up my left hand. "He actually said 'yes'."

John nodded. "Which is why after you get Mrs. Lummus home safe and sound and tucked back into bed with a belly full of warm milk, and all the pills she needs in order to survive, we promise we'll leave you alone."

"-Until your engagement party tomorrow." Marcy added. "We got balloons!"

"And 'course he said 'yes'." Earl made a face. "Any idiot can see you two were made for each other."

"Please, man?" John begged "We've only got an hour until the sun comes up!"

"Fine, we'll do it." Lux gave in. "Get outta here so we can finish getting dressed and then we'll handle Bebe."

"Thanks!"

"Love ya!"

"Owe ya!"

"Bye!"

They scrambled back down the ladder and were gone.

Lux sighed, "I thought vampires were supposed to lurk in the shadows! Not throw parties that end up with old ladies running the streets at night."

"Right?" I shook my head. "Oh well. Lurking in the shadows sounds boring anyway."

He laughed as we finished putting our tuxes and coats back on. "Ready to go back down?"

I sighed, "I guess."

"-Hold on."

The voice came out of nowhere, and chilled me to the bone. I reeled around, searching for where it had come from. Lux had already stepped in front of me. He was snarling at something I couldn't see.

"Hey, boys," Jules reached the top of the ladder and stood at the edge of the silo. "Sorry for the surprise. I wasn't trying to startle you, just wanted to avoid your Slaughter."

"They're still close." Lux threatened. "They'll know you're here."

"You didn't know I was close by. Neither will they. We share the same blood, so telling the difference between my scent and yours takes focus." She pointed a finger at Lux. "They're not the ones in danger, so I don't blame them for not paying attention. But you, Lux, you should know better than to ever let your guard down."

"You said we were safe here, that there was no fighting without the Slaughter's permission. But if you were lying," he flexed, "then do what you came to do."

I tried not to panic as I prayed that Jules hadn't come for a fight. My heart was beating so hard that I actually saw her eyes glance down at my chest, like the sound had caught her attention.

She looked me over, then smiled. "Well, I see congratulations are in order. Nice ring, Gabriel."

"-Enough," Lux took a step forward.

"Easy. I didn't come to fight you. I came to make sure that the Slaughter was training you well." She frowned. "So far, I'm disappointed.

I heard a sound like a really quick gasp. Suddenly Jules was missing and Lux was standing in her place.

I looked around for her, turning in a quick circle, "Where'd she-" I started to ask, but my question was answered before I even had time to finish.

" _What's wrong with yoooooooooou!_ "

I heard her voice getting louder from somewhere high above. I looked towards the purple sky and realized that Lux had launched her straight into the air.

He ripped the metal handle off the heater, held it up like a skewer, and stood right in the spot where she was destined to land.

"You wouldn't! YOU WOULDN'T YOU WOULDN'T YOU WOULDN'T!" she screamed as she fell. Like a cat, she'd managed to right herself, but she was still headed towards a very grisly landing on top of the bar.

Lux didn't say a word. He just stared at her with the most amused expression I'd ever seen.

"Lux!" her voice was getting louder by the second, " _You wouldn't!"_

She uttered a string of cuss words as she prepared for her non-deadly, but still very unpleasant impaling.

Lux yanked the handle out of the way just in the nick of time.

She landed on the ground in a crouch, with her mouth wide open and her eyes stretched wide. Her silvery curls were a bird's nest on top of her head.

Lux dropped the bar and let it hit the ground with a clank and a thud. He looked down at her, "Good enough proof for you?"

She nodded, her eyes still huge.

Then he turned and walked away, "Go home, Jules. Don't ever come back."

In one movement he swept me up and over the roof's edge. We landed smoothly with me wrapped in his arms.

I stared up at him. "That was the sexiest thing I've ever seen in my life."

He winked, "Told you I was getting faster. We're gonna be ready, babe. I'll handle our least favorite vampires, and you handle getting Bebe to take those pills."

"That sounds totally even." I laughed, as he took off in a sprint, towards our friends and our future _together_.

THE END.


End file.
